Camera module and camera device comprising same

ABSTRACT

A camera module according to an embodiment includes base; a guide portion disposed on an inner side of the base; a lens assembly moving along the guide portion; and a substrate disposed on an outer side of the base, wherein the lens assembly includes a conductor disposed under a lower surface thereof, and wherein the substrate includes a resonance coil disposed in a region facing the lower surface of the lens assembly and overlapping at least a part of the conductor in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis direction in response to movement of the lens assembly.

TECHNICAL FIELD

An embodiment relates to a camera module and a camera device comprisingthe same.

BACKGROUND ART

The camera module captures a subject and stores it as an image or video,and is installed in mobile terminals such as cell phones, laptops,drones, and vehicles.

On the other hand, portable devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, andlaptops have built-in micro camera modules, and such a camera module mayperform an autofocus (AF) function that automatically adjusts a distancebetween an image sensor and a lens to align the focal lengths of thelenses.

In addition, recent camera modules may perform a zooming function ofzooming up or zooming out by increasing or decreasing a magnification ofa distant subject through a zoom lens.

In addition, recent camera modules employ Image Stabilization (IS)technology to correct or prevent image shake due to camera movementcaused by unstable fixing devices or user movement.

The image stabilization (IS) technology includes an optical imagestabilizer (OIS) technology and an image stabilization preventiontechnology using an image sensor.

OIS technology is a technology that corrects motion by changing the pathof light, and image stabilization technology using an image sensor is atechnology that compensates movement by mechanical and electronicmethods, but OIS technology is being adopted more and more.

On the other hand, OIS technology is a method of correcting the imagequality by moving the lens or image sensor of the camera to correct theoptical path, in particular, OIS technology detects camera movementthrough a gyro sensor and calculates a distance that a lens or imagesensor should move based on this.

For example, the OIS correction method includes a lens movement methodand a module tilting method. In the lens movement method, only the lensin the camera module is moved to realign a center of the image sensorand the optical axis. On the other hand, the module tilting method is amethod of moving an entire module including the lens and image sensor.

In particular, the module tilting method has a wider correction rangethan the lens movement method, and since the focal length between thelens and the image sensor is fixed, it has the advantage of minimizingimage distortion.

On the other hand, in the case of the lens movement method, a Hallsensor is used to detect the position and movement of the lens. However,the Hall sensor as described above has linearity when the lens movementdistance is small, but has a problem in that the linearity decreases asthe lens movement distance increases. In addition, the Hall sensor isgreatly affected by a surrounding environment, and in particular, has aproblem of poor reliability due to heat generated when the camera moduleis driven.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An embodiment provides a camera module including a position detectionsensor having excellent linearity and hysteresis even when a lensmovement distance increases, and a camera device including the same.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera module and a camera deviceincluding the same, which can solve reliability problems that may occurin various usage environments of the camera module and facilitateassembly by making a base and a rail separable from each other.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera module and a camera deviceincluding the same, which can facilitate the design of the lens barreland the design of the mover by making the lens barrel and the moverseparable from each other. It also provides a camera module and devicethat facilitates assembly of the lens barrel, mover, base and rail.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera module capable ofpreventing friction torque from being generated when a lens is movedthrough zooming in the camera module, and a camera device including thesame.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera module and a camera deviceincluding the same, which can prevent the occurrence of a phenomenon inwhich a lens decent or a lens tilt or the center of the lens and thecenter axis of the image sensor do not coincide when the lens is movedthrough zooming in the camera module.

In addition, an embodiment provides an ultra-slim and ultra-small cameramodule and a camera device including the same.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera actuator capable ofsecuring a sufficient amount of light by resolving a size limitation ofa lens in a lens assembly of an optical system when OIS is implemented,and a camera module including the same.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera module capable ofexhibiting the best optical characteristics by minimizing the occurrenceof a decent or tilt phenomenon when implementing OIS, and a cameradevice including the same.

In addition, an embodiment provides a camera module capable ofpreventing magnetic field interference with a magnet for AF or Zoom anda camera device including the same when implementing OIS.

In addition, one of the technical tasks of the embodiment is to providea camera module capable of implementing OIS with low power consumptionand a camera device including the same.

The technical problems of the embodiments are not limited to thosedescribed in this item, and include those that can be grasped from theentire description of the invention.

Technical Solution

A camera module according to an embodiment includes base; a guideportion disposed on an inner side of the base; a lens assembly movingalong the guide portion; and a substrate disposed on an outer side ofthe base, wherein the lens assembly includes a conductor disposed undera lower surface thereof, and wherein the substrate includes a resonancecoil disposed in a region facing the lower surface of the lens assemblyand overlapping at least a part of the conductor in a directionperpendicular to an optical axis direction in response to movement ofthe lens assembly.

In addition, the guide portion includes a first guide portion disposedon a first inner side of the base; and a second guide portion disposedon a second inner side facing the first inner side of the base, whereinthe lens assembly includes a first lens assembly moving along the firstguide portion; and a second lens assembly moving along the second guideportion.

In addition, the conductor includes a first conductor disposed under alower surface of the first lens assembly; and a second conductordisposed under a lower surface of the second lens assembly; wherein theresonance coil includes a first resonance coil overlapping at least apart of the first conductor within a movement range of the firstconductor corresponding to a stroke of the first lens assembly; and asecond resonance coil overlapping at least a part of the secondconductor within a movement range of the second conductor correspondingto a stroke of the second lens assembly.

In addition, the first resonance coil is disposed on the substrate to bespaced apart from the second resonance coil.

In addition, the movement range of the first conductor does not overlapthe movement range of the second conductor in a direction perpendicularto the optical axis direction.

In addition, the first resonance coil is spaced apart from the firstconductor by a first distance, wherein the second resonance coil isspaced apart from the second conductor by a second distance, wherein atleast one of the first and second distances is in the range of 1.0 mm to2.0 mm.

In addition, at least one of the first and second resonance coils has athickness of 50 μm or more.

In addition, at least one of the first and second resonance coils has awidth in the range of 50 um to 1 mm.

In addition, at least one of the first and second resonance coils isdisposed by turning a plurality of times with a spacing in the range of50 um to 300 um on the substrate.

In addition, at least one of the first and second resonance coils has anouter width that is at least three times greater than an inner width.

In addition, the substrate includes a plurality of insulating layers,and each of the first and second resonance coils is disposed on theplurality of insulating layers to have a plurality of layer structures.

In addition, the plurality of insulating layers includes first to fourthinsulating layers, wherein each of the first and second resonance coilsincludes a first portion disposed on the first insulating layer anddisposed by turning in a first direction; a second portion disposed onthe second insulating layer, connected to the first portion, anddisposed by turning in a second direction opposite to the firstdirection; a third portion disposed on the third insulating layer,connected to the second portion, and disposed by turning in the firstdirection; and a fourth portion disposed on the fourth insulating layer,connected to the third portion, and disposed by turning in the seconddirection.

In addition, each of the first and second resonance coils includes anoscillation coil and a first and second receiving coil, and theoscillation coil is disposed to surround an outer side of the first andsecond receiving coils.

In addition, the plurality of insulating layers includes first to sixthinsulating layers, wherein each of the first and second resonance coilsincludes a first portion of the oscillation coil disposed on the firstinsulating layer and disposed by turning in a first direction; a secondportion of the oscillation coil disposed on the second insulating layer,connected to the first portion of the oscillation coil, and disposed byturning in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a firstportion of the first receiving coil disposed on the second insulatinglayer; a second portion of the first receiving coil disposed on thethird insulating layer and connected to the first portion of the firstreceiving coil; a first portion of the second receiving coil disposed onthe fourth insulating layer; a third portion of the oscillation coildisposed on the fifth insulating layer, connected to the second portionof the oscillation coil, and disposed by turning in the first direction;a second portion of the second receiving coil disposed on the fifthinsulating layer and connected to the first portion of the secondreceiving coil; and a fourth portion of the oscillation coil disposed onthe sixth insulating layer, connected to the third portion of theoscillation coil, and disposed by turning in the second direction.

In addition, the first receiving coil and the second receiving coil havea shape in which a sine wave and a cosine wave are combined.

In addition, the sine wave and the cosine wave include a rising part anda falling part, and a rising part of the first receiving coil isdisposed on a different layer from a falling part of the first receivingcoil, and a rising part of the second receiving coil is disposed on adifferent layer from a falling part of the first receiving coil.

On the other hand, a camera module according to an embodiment includes abase; a guide portion disposed on an inner side of the base; a lensassembly moving along the guide portion; and a substrate disposed on anouter side the base, wherein the lens assembly includes a mover on whichthe driving portion is disposed; and a lens barrel detachably coupled tothe mover and on which a lens is disposed.

In addition, the guide portion, a first guide portion disposed on afirst inner side of the base; and a second guide portion disposed on asecond inner side facing the first inner side of the base, wherein thelens assembly includes a first lens assembly moving along the firstguide portion; and a second lens assembly moving along the second guideportion.

In addition, the first lens assembly includes a first lens barrel onwhich a first lens is disposed and a first mover on which a firstdriving portion is disposed, and the second lens assembly includes asecond lens barrel on which a second lens is disposed. and a secondmover on which a second driving portion is disposed.

In addition, the first mover includes a first coupling portion to whichthe first driving portion is coupled and a second coupling portion towhich the first lens barrel is coupled, and the second mover includes athird coupling portion to which the second driving portion is coupled,and a fourth coupling portion to which the second lens barrel iscoupled, wherein the first lens barrel is detachably coupled to thesecond coupling portion, and the second lens barrel is detachablycoupled to the fourth coupling portion.

In addition, the substrate includes a first region disposed on an outerside of a lower surface of the base; a second region disposed on a firstouter side corresponding to the first inner side of the base; and athird region disposed on a second outer side corresponding to the secondinner side of the base.

In addition, the first lens barrel includes a first yoke receivingportion coupled to the second coupling portion and receiving the firstyoke therein, and the second lens barrel includes a second yokereceiving portion coupled to the fourth coupling portion and receivingthe second yoke therein.

In addition, the camera module further includes a first ball disposedbetween the first guide portion and the first mover; and a second balldisposed between the second guide portion and the second mover.

In addition, the first ball includes at least one first-first balldisposed on an upper side of the first mover and at least onefirst-second ball disposed on a lower side of the first mover, andwherein the second ball includes at least one second-first ball disposedon an upper side of the second mover and at least one second-second balldisposed on a lower side of the second mover.

In addition, the first mover includes a first-first arrangement portionhaving a first shape so that the first-first ball is disposed on anupper surface thereof, and a first-second arrangement portion having asecond shape so that the second-first ball is disposed on a lowersurface thereof, wherein the second mover includes a second-firstarrangement portion having the first shape so that the second-first ballis disposed on an upper surface thereof, and a second-second arrangementportion having the second shape so that the second-second ball isdisposed on a lower surface thereof, and wherein the first shape isdifferent from the second shape.

In addition, the first shape has a groove shape into which thefirst-first ball or the second-first ball is inserted, and the secondshape has a rail shape in which the first-second ball or thesecond-second ball is disposed and extends in an optical axis direction.

In addition, at least one of the first to third regions of the substrateis a rigid region, and the substrate includes a first flexible regionbetween the first and second regions and a second flexible regionbetween the second and third regions, wherein the first and secondflexible regions are bent along an outer side of the base, and the eachof the first to third regions is disposed on different outer surfaces ofthe base.

In addition, the first lens assembly includes a first conductor disposedon a lower surface of the first lens barrel, and the second lensassembly includes a second conductor disposed on a lower surface of thesecond lens barrel.

In addition, the substrate includes a first resonance coil disposed on afirst part of the first region and a second resonance coil disposed on asecond part of the first region, and wherein the first resonance coil isspaced apart from the second resonance coil by a predetermined interval.

In addition, the camera module according to an embodiment includes abase; a first guide portion disposed on a first inner side of the base;a second guide portion disposed on a second inner side of the base; afirst lens assembly moving along the first guide portion; a second lensassembly moving along the second guide portion; and a substrate disposedon an outer side of the base, wherein the substrate includes: a firstregion disposed on a lower surface of the base; a second region disposedon a first outer side corresponding to the first inner side of the base,and a third region disposed on a second outer side corresponding to thesecond inner side of the base.

In addition, the first lens assembly includes a first lens barrel onwhich a first lens is disposed and a first mover on which a firstdriving portion is disposed, and the second lens assembly includes asecond lens barrel on which a second lens is disposed, and a secondmover on which a second driving portion is disposed, wherein thesubstrate includes a third driving portion disposed on the second regionto face the first driving portion, and a fourth driving portion disposedon the third region to face the second driving portion.

In addition, at least one of the first to third regions of the substrateis a rigid region, and the substrate includes a first flexible regionbetween the first and second regions; and a second flexible regionbetween the second and third regions, and wherein the first and secondflexible regions are bent along the outer side of the base.

In addition, the first lens assembly includes a first conductor disposedunder a lower surface of the first lens barrel, and the second lensassembly includes a second conductor disposed on a lower surface of thesecond lens barrel.

In addition, a width of at least one of the first conductor and thesecond conductor changes in the optical axis direction.

In addition, at least one of the first and second conductors has any oneof a triangular shape and a rhombus shape.

In addition, the width of the first and second conductors is linearlychanged in the optical axis direction.

In addition, the substrate includes a first resonance coil disposed on afirst part of the first region and a second resonance coil disposed on asecond part of the first region, wherein the first resonance coil isspaced apart from the second resonance coil by a predetermined interval.

In addition, an opening is formed on a lower surface of the base in anoverlapping region of the first resonance coil and the second resonancecoil.

In addition, the first part of the first region overlaps with a movementrange of the first conductor corresponding to a stroke of the first lensassembly in a first direction, and the second part of the first regionis a portion overlapping with a movement range of the second conductorcorresponding to the stroke of the second lens assembly in the firstdirection, and the movement range of the first conductor does notoverlap with the movement range of the second conductor in the firstdirection.

In addition, the first resonance coil is spaced apart from the firstconductor by a first distance, the second resonance coil is spaced apartfrom the second conductor by a second distance, and wherein each of thefirst and second distances satisfies a range of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm.

Advantageous Effects

According to the embodiment, the first barrel assembly 121 and the firstmover 122, which are separately formed and assembled, are separatelyadopted, without disposing the driving portion on the lens barrel sothat the movement-related operation is performed in the lens barrelitself. Accordingly, design easiness of the first barrel assembly 121and the first mover 122 may be improved. That is, the first barrelassembly 121 in the embodiment may be designed in consideration of onlythe lens specifications, the first mover 122 only needs to be designedin consideration of matters related to the movement, and accordingly,design easiness can be improved.

In addition, in the prior art, when the reliability of the actuator isevaluated, since all movement-related parts such as a magnet or a ballare disposed in the first lens barrel, and as described above, thereliability evaluation of the actuator was performed only in a state inwhich all parts such as the first lens barrel, the magnet, and the ballwere combined. Accordingly, in the prior art, when a problem occurs inthe performance of the actuator, the lens barrel itself must bediscarded, resulting in costly waste.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the first mover 122 andthe first barrel assembly 121 are designed separately. In this case,when evaluating the reliability of the actuator in the embodiment, thereliability evaluation related to the movement of the first mover 122may be performed in a state in which the first barrel assembly 121 isnot coupled to the first mover 122, and accordingly, the ease ofreliability evaluation can be improved. In addition, when a problemoccurs in the reliability evaluation of the first mover 122, only thefirst mover 122 needs to be discarded, and accordingly, themanufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

In addition, in the embodiment, the position of the lens assembly issensed through an inductive change instead of the Hall sensor fordetecting the position of the lens assembly in the prior art, andaccordingly, it is possible to increase the position detection accuracyof the lens assembly, thereby improving the operation reliability of thecamera module.

In addition, in the embodiment, the movement positions of the first lensassembly and the second lens assembly are sensed using the firstresonator and the second resonator, and accordingly, it is possible toprovide a position detection sensor having excellent linearity andhysteresis even when the lens movement distance is increased.

According to the camera module according to the embodiment, there is atechnical effect that can solve the problem of friction torquegeneration during zooming (zooming).

For example, in the embodiment, as the lens assembly is driven in astate in which the first guide portion and the second guide portion,which are precisely numerically controlled in the base, are driven,frictional resistance can be reduced by reducing frictional torque, andaccordingly there are technical effects such as improvement of drivingforce during zooming, reduction of power consumption, and improvement ofcontrol characteristics.

Accordingly, according to the embodiment, when zooming, there is acomplex technical effect that can significantly improve image quality orresolution by minimizing the friction torque and preventing theoccurrence of a lens tilt or a lens decenter or a phenomenon in whichthe lens group and a central axis of the image sensor are not aligned.

In addition, the camera module according to the embodiment may align theplurality of lens groups by solving the problem of lens decenter or tiltduring zooming, and through this, there is a technical effect ofremarkably improving image quality or resolution by preventing a changein the angle of view or defocusing.

For example, according to the embodiment, the first guide portionincludes the first-first rail and the first-second rail, so that thefirst-first rail and the first-second rail guide the first lensassembly, accordingly, there is a technical effect that can increase thealignment accuracy.

In addition, by providing two rails per lens assembly, there is atechnical effect of ensuring accuracy with the other one even when oneof the rails is misaligned.

In addition, according to the embodiment, by providing two rails perlens assembly, when a ball friction force issue, which will be describedlater, occurs in one of the rails, the rolling operation can be smoothlyperformed in the other rail, and accordingly, there is a technicaleffect that can secure the driving force.

In addition, according to the embodiment, by providing two rails perlens assembly, it is possible to secure a wide gap between the balls tobe described later, through this, driving force can be improved,magnetic field interference can be prevented, and there is a technicaleffect of preventing tilt of the lens assembly.

In the prior art, when the guide rail is disposed on the base itself, agradient occurs depending on the injection direction, so there is adifficulty in dimensional management, and there is a technical problemin that the friction torque increases and the driving force decreaseswhen it is not properly injected.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the guide rail is notdisposed on the base itself, but the first guide portion and the secondguide portion are separately formed and assembled separately from thebase, and this has a special technical effect that can prevent thegeneration of gradients depending on the injection direction.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera module according to anembodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which some components are omitted fromthe camera module according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view in which some components areomitted from the camera module according to the embodiment shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a guide portion in the cameramodule according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5a is an exploded perspective view of a first lens assembly in thecamera module according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5b is a perspective view in which the driving portion is coupled tothe lens portion and the mover shown in FIG. 5 a.

FIG. 5c is a perspective view of a first lens assembly in which a lensportion and a mover are coupled according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5d is a perspective view in which a ball is coupled to the firstlens assembly.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of driving a camera module accordingto an embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a lower portion of the first lens assembly inthe camera module according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third lens assembly in the cameramodule according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in a first direction.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the third lens assembly 140 shown inFIG. 8 in the second direction.

FIG. 10a is a perspective view of a base in the camera module accordingto the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in a first direction.

FIG. 10b is a perspective view of the base shown in FIG. 10A in a seconddirection.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a guide cover in the camera moduleaccording to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 12a is a perspective view showing a first substrate in a firststate in a camera module according to an embodiment.

FIG. 12b is a plan view of the first substrate of FIG. 12a in a secondstate.

FIG. 12c is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a firstresonator disposed on a first substrate in a camera module according toan embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining an operation principle of the first andsecond resonators according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in the cameramodule of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a change in characteristics of a resonatoraccording to a resonance frequency according to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining a position sensing operation of thelens assembly according to the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing a positional relationship of a lens assemblycorresponding to an output value of an inductance digital converter(LDC) according to an embodiment.

FIG. 18a is a view showing various embodiments of a shape of a conductorin a camera module according to an embodiment.

FIG. 18b is a view for explaining a problem in the case where theconductor has a rectangular shape.

FIG. 19a is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a resonatoraccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 19b is a plan view of the resonator shown in FIG. 19 a.

FIG. 20a is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a resonatoraccording to another exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 20b is a view specifically showing a resonance coil in theresonator shown in FIG. 20 a.

FIG. 20c is an equivalent circuit diagram of the resonator shown inFIGS. 20a and 20 b.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a resonator according to anotherexemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 22a to 22f are plan views showing layer-by-layer structure of FIG.21.

FIG. 22g is a view for explaining a planar shape of the receiving coilshown in FIGS. 22a to 22 f.

FIG. 23 is a view showing an equivalent circuit diagram of the resonancecoil shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a mobile terminal to which a cameramodule according to an embodiment is applied.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited tosome embodiments described, but may be implemented in various differentforms, and, as long as it is within the scope of the technical spirit ofthe present invention, one or more of the components may be selectivelycombined and substituted between the embodiments.

In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used inthe embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as meaningsthat can be generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the artto which the present invention pertains unless explicitly defined anddescribed, and the meanings of commonly used terms such as predefinedterms may be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning ofthe related art. In addition, the terms used in the embodiments of thepresent invention are for describing the embodiments and are notintended to limit the present invention.

In this specification, the singular may also include the plural unlessspecifically stated in the phrase, and when it is described as “A and(and) at least one (or more than one) of B and C”, it may include one ormore of all combinations that can be combined with A, B, and C. Inaddition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the presentinvention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may beused.

These terms are only used to distinguish the component from othercomponents, and are not limited to the essence, order, or order of thecomponent by the term. And, when it is described that a component is‘connected’, ‘coupled’ or ‘contacted’ to another component, thecomponent is not only directly connected, coupled or contacted to theother component, but also with the component it may also include a caseof ‘connected’, ‘coupled’ or ‘contacted’ due to another element betweenthe other elements.

In addition, when it is described as being formed or disposed on “above(on) or below (under)” of each component, the above (on) or below(under) is one as well as when two components are in direct contact witheach other. Also includes a case in which another component as describedabove is formed or disposed between two components. In addition, whenexpressed as “above (up) or below (under)”, it may include not only theupward direction but also the meaning of the downward direction based onone component.

EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera module according to anembodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which some components areomitted from the camera module according to the embodiment shown in FIG.1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view in which some componentsare omitted from the camera module according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, a camera module 100 according to an embodiment mayinclude a base 110, a substrate 160 disposed on an outer side of thebase 110, a driver IC 165 disposed on one surface of the substrate 160,a first lens assembly 120, a second lens assembly 130, a third lensassembly 140, a driving portion 170, and a guide cover 190.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which the base 110, the substrate 160,the guide cover 190, and the driver IC 165 are omitted in FIG. 1, andreferring to FIG. 2, the camera module according to the embodiment mayinclude a guide portion 150 including a first guide portion 151 and asecond guide portion 152, a third driving portion 171, the fourthdriving portion 172, a first lens assembly 120, and a second lensassembly 130.

The third driving portion 171 and the fourth driving portion 172 mayinclude a coil or a magnet.

For example, when the third driving portion 171 and the fourth drivingportion 172 include a coil, the third driving portion 171 may include afirst coil portion 171 a and a first yoke 171 b, and, the fourth drivingportion 172 may include a second coil portion 172 a and a second yoke172 b.

Alternatively, the third driving portion 171 and the fourth drivingportion 172 may include a magnet.

In the xyz-axis direction shown in FIG. 3, the z-axis means an opticalaxis direction or a direction parallel to this, the xz plane representsa ground, and the x-axis means a direction perpendicular to the z-axisin the ground (xz plane), and the y-axis may mean a directionperpendicular to the ground.

Referring to FIG. 3, the camera module 100 according to the embodimentmay include a base 110, a first guide portion 151 disposed on one sideof the base, a second guide portion 152 disposed on the other side ofthe base 110, a first lens assembly 120 corresponding to the first guideportion 151, a second lens assembly 130 corresponding to the secondguide portion 152, a first ball 181 (to be described later) disposedbetween the first guide portion and the first lens assembly 120, and asecond ball (to be described later) disposed between the second guideportion 152 and the second lens assembly 130.

In addition, the embodiment may include a third lens assembly 140disposed in front of the first lens assembly 120 in the optical axisdirection.

Hereinafter, specific features of the camera module according to theembodiment will be described in detail with reference to attacheddrawings.

<Guide Portion>

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the embodiment, the first guide portion151 is disposed adjacent to a first sidewall (111, to be describedlater) of the base 110, and a second guide portion 152 disposed adjacentto a second sidewall 112 (described later) opposite to the firstsidewall 111 of the base 110.

The first guide portion 151 may be disposed between the first lensassembly 120 and the first sidewall 111 of the base 110.

The second guide portion 152 may be disposed between the second lensassembly 130 and the second sidewall 112 of the base 110. The firstsidewall 111 and the second sidewall 112 of the base 110 may be disposedto face each other.

According to the embodiment, as the lens assembly is driven in a statein which the first guide portion 151 and the second guide portion 152,which are precisely numerically controlled in the base 110, are driven,frictional resistance can be reduced by reducing frictional torque, andaccordingly there are technical effects such as improvement of drivingforce during zooming, reduction of power consumption, and improvement ofcontrol characteristics.

Accordingly, according to the embodiment, when zooming, there is acomplex technical effect that can significantly improve image quality orresolution by minimizing the friction torque and preventing theoccurrence of a lens tilt or a lens decenter or a phenomenon in whichthe lens group and a central axis of the image sensor are not aligned.

In the prior art, when the guide rail is disposed on the base itself, agradient occurs depending on the injection direction, so there is adifficulty in dimensional management, and there is a technical problemin that the friction torque increases and the driving force decreaseswhen it is not properly injected.

In addition, in the prior art, the base and the guide rail areintegrally formed. In this case, the base may be formed of plastic thatcan be molded by injection, and thus the guide rail is also made ofplastic. However, the camera module is exposed to various dangeroussituations (e.g., falling) in use environment, thereby causing areliability problem. For example, when a dangerous situation such as afall occurs in the environment in which the camera module is used, aproblem such as nicking of the guide rail occurs, and thus the lensassembly cannot be moved to an accurate position.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, instead of arranging theguide rail on the base itself, the first guide portion 151 and thesecond guide portion 152 that are separately formed and assembled areseparately adopted, and thereby, there is a special technical effectthat can prevent the generation of gradient depending on the injectiondirection. In addition, as the base 110 and the guide portions 151 and152 are separately employed, the base 110 may be formed of plastic, andthe guide portions 151 and 152 may be formed of a metal strong againstimpact.

The base 110 may be injected in the z-axis direction. When the rail isintegrally formed with the base in the prior art, there is a problem inthat a straight line of the rail is distorted due to a gradientoccurring while the rail is injected in the z-axis.

According to the embodiment, by the first guide portion 151, the secondguide portion 152 is injected separately from the base 110, it ispossible to significantly prevent the generation of gradients comparedto the prior art, so precise injection is possible, and there is aspecial technical effect that can prevent the generation of gradientsdue to injection.

In the embodiment, a length of the first guide portion 151 and thesecond guide portion 152 is shorter than that of the base 110 as theyare injected in the X-axis direction. In this case, when the rails 151 aand 152 a are disposed on the first guide portion 151 and the secondguide portion 152, it is possible to minimize the generation of gradientduring injection, and there is a technical effect that the straight lineof the rail is less likely to be distorted.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a guide portion in the cameramodule according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first guide portion 151 may include a single ora plurality of first rails 151 a. Also, the second guide portion 152 mayinclude a single or a plurality of second rails 152 a.

For example, the first rail 151 a of the first guide portion 151 mayinclude a first-first rail 151 b and a first-second rail 151 c. Thefirst guide portion 151 may include a first support portion 151 dbetween the first-first rail 151 b and the first-second rail 151 c.

Specifically, the first guide portion 151 may include a first supportportion 151 d. In addition, the first-first rail 151 b of the firstguide portion 151 may be disposed to protrude from an upper end of aninner surface of the first support portion 151 d in the direction inwhich the second guide portion 152 is disposed (or the direction inwhich the second sidewall 112 of the base 110 is disposed). In addition,the first-second rail 151 c of the first guide portion 151 may bedisposed to protrude from a lower end of the inner surface of the firstsupport portion 151 d in the direction in which the second guide portion152 is disposed (or the direction in which the second sidewall 112 ofthe base 110 is disposed).

According to the embodiment, by providing two rails per lens assembly,there is a technical effect of ensuring accuracy with the other one evenwhen one of the rails is misaligned.

In addition, according to the embodiment, by providing two rails perlens assembly, when a ball friction force issue, which will be describedlater, occurs in one of the rails, the rolling operation can be smoothlyperformed in the other rail, and accordingly, there is a technicaleffect that can secure the driving force.

The first rail 151 a may be connected from one surface disposed in theoptical axis direction of the first guide portion 151 to the othersurface.

A camera actuator and the camera module including the same according tothe embodiment may align the plurality of lens groups by solving theproblem of lens decenter or tilt during zooming, and through this, thereis a technical effect of remarkably improving image quality orresolution by preventing a change in the angle of view or defocusing.

For example, according to the embodiment, the first guide portion 151includes a first-first rail 151 b and a first-second rail 151 c, sincethe first-first rail 151 b and the first-second rail 151 c guide thefirst lens assembly 120, there is a technical effect of increasingalignment accuracy.

In addition, according to an embodiment, by providing two rails per lensassembly, it is possible to secure a wide spacing between the balls tobe described later, this can improve the driving force, and there is atechnical effect of preventing magnetic field interference andpreventing tilt in a stopping or moving state of the lens assembly.

In addition, the first guide portion 151 may include a first guideprotrusion extending in a lateral direction perpendicular to theextending direction of the first rail 151 a.

That is, the first guide portion 151 may include a first guideprotrusion protruding from an outer surface of the first support portion151 d in a direction opposite to the direction in which the first rail151 a is disposed.

The first guide protrusion includes a first-first guide protrusion 151 eprotruding from the upper end of the outer surface of the first supportportion 151 d in a direction in which the first sidewall 111 of the base110 is disposed, and a first-second guide protrusion 151 f protrudingfrom the lower end of the outer surface of the first support portion 151d in a direction in which the first sidewall 111 of the base 110 isdisposed. The positions of the first-first guide protrusion 151 e andthe first-second guide protrusion 151 f may be fixed as they are coupledto a guide coupling portion (described later) provided on the base 110.This will be described later.

Also, referring to FIG. 4, the second guide portion 152 in theembodiment may include a single or a plurality of second rails 152 a.

For example, the first rail 152 a of the second guide portion 152 mayinclude a second-first rail 152 b and a second-second rail 152 c. Thesecond guide portion 152 may include a second support portion 152 dbetween the second-first rail 152 b and the second-second rail 152 c.

Specifically, the second guide portion 152 may include a second supportportion 152 d. In addition, the second-first rail 152 b of the secondguide portion 152 may be disposed to protrude from an upper end of aninner surface of the second support portion 152 d in the direction inwhich the first guide portion 151 is disposed (or the direction in whichthe first sidewall 111 of the base 110 is disposed). In addition, thesecond-second rail 152 c of the second guide portion 152 may be disposedto protrude from a lower end of the inner surface of the second supportportion 152 d in the direction in which the first guide portion 151 isdisposed (or the direction in which the first sidewall 112 of the base110 is disposed).

According to the embodiment, by providing two rails per lens assembly,there is a technical effect of ensuring accuracy with the other one evenwhen one of the rails is misaligned.

In addition, according to the embodiment, by providing two rails perlens assembly, when a ball friction force issue, which will be describedlater, occurs in one of the rails, the rolling operation can be smoothlyperformed in the other rail, and accordingly, there is a technicaleffect that can secure the driving force.

The second rail 152 a may be connected from one surface disposed in theoptical axis direction of the second guide portion 152 to the othersurface.

A camera actuator and the camera module including the same according tothe embodiment may align the plurality of lens groups by solving theproblem of lens decenter or tilt during zooming, and through this, thereis a technical effect of remarkably improving image quality orresolution by preventing a change in the angle of view or defocusing.

For example, according to the embodiment, the second guide portion 152includes a second-first rail 152 b and a second-second rail 152 c, sincethe second-first rail 152 b and the second-second rail 152 c guide thesecond lens assembly 130, there is a technical effect of increasingalignment accuracy.

In addition, according to an embodiment, by providing two rails per lensassembly, it is possible to secure a wide spacing between the balls tobe described later, this can improve the driving force, and there is atechnical effect of preventing magnetic field interference andpreventing tilt in a stopping or moving state of the lens assembly.

In addition, the second guide portion 152 may include a second guideprotrusion extending in a lateral direction perpendicular to theextending direction of the second rail 152 a.

That is, the second guide portion 152 may include a second guideprotrusion protruding from an outer surface of the second supportportion 152 d in a direction opposite to the direction in which thesecond rail 152 a is disposed.

The second guide protrusion includes a second-first guide protrusion 152e protruding from the upper end of the outer surface of the secondsupport portion 152 d in a direction in which the second sidewall 112 ofthe base 110 is disposed, and a second-second guide protrusion (notshown) protruding from the lower end of the outer surface of the secondsupport portion 152 d in a direction in which the second sidewall 112 ofthe base 110 is disposed. The positions of the second-first guideprotrusion 152 e and the second-second guide protrusion may be fixed asthey are coupled to a guide coupling portion (described later) providedon the base 110. This will be described later.

Meanwhile, the first rail 151 a of the first guide portion 151 mayinclude a first-first rail 151 b having a first shape R1 and afirst-second rail 151 c having a second shape R2.

In addition, the second rail 152 a of the second guide portion 152 mayinclude a second-first rail 152 b having a first shape R1 and asecond-second rail 152 c having a second shape R2.

In this case, the first shape R1 and the second shape R2 of the firstguide portion 151 may be different from each other.

For example, the first shape R1 of the first guide portion 151 and thesecond guide portion 152 may have a straight shape. In other words, thefirst-first rail 151 b and the second-first rail 152 b may have a flatplate shape.

Also, the second shape R2 of the first guide portion 151 and the secondguide portion 152 may have an L-shape. However, this is only anembodiment, and the first shape R1 and the second shape R2 of the firstguide portion 151 and the second guide portion 152 may be deformed intovarious shapes according to embodiments.

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawing, at least one of rib (notshown) may be respectively disposed in a region adjacent to thefirst-second rail 151 c and the second-second rail 152 c among the innersurfaces of the first support portion 151 d and the second supportportion 152 d.

In the prior art, as the number of injection-molded products increasesor the thickness of the injection-molded products increases, shrinkageoccurs, making it difficult to manage dimensions, and when an amount ofinjection-molded products is reduced, contradictions such as weakeningof strength occur.

According to this embodiment, by arranging at least one rib between thefirst support portion 151 d and the first-second rails 151 c and betweenthe second support portion 152 d and the second-second rails 152 c, andthere is a complex technical effect that can increase the accuracy ofnumerical management and secure strength at the same time by reducingthe amount of injection molded product.

Meanwhile, the first guide portion 151 may include a first open regionOR1. Also, the second guide portion 152 may include a second open regionOR2. The first open region OR1 may be an opening exposing the thirddriving portion 171. Preferably, the first open region OR1 may be anopening exposing the first coil portion 171 b constituting the thirddriving portion 171. Preferably, the first open region OR1 may overlapand align with the first coil portion 171 b in the x-axis direction.

The second open region OR2 may be an opening exposing the fourth drivingportion 172. Preferably, the second open region OR2 may be an openingexposing the second coil portion 172 b constituting the fourth drivingportion 172. Preferably, the second open region OR2 may overlap and bealigned with the second coil portion 172 b in the x-axis direction.

<First and Second Lens Assemblies and Balls>

Next, FIG. 5a is an exploded perspective view of a first lens assembly120 in the camera module according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3,FIG. 5b is a perspective view in which the driving portion is coupled tothe lens portion and the mover shown in FIG. 5a , FIG. 5c is aperspective view of a first lens assembly 120 in which a lens portionand a mover are coupled according to an embodiment, and FIG. 5d is aperspective view in which a ball is coupled to the first lens assembly120.

Referring briefly to FIG. 3, the embodiment may include a first lensassembly 120 moving along the first guide portion 151 and a second lensassembly 130 moving along the second guide portion 152.

Referring back to FIGS. 5a to 5d , the first lens assembly 120 mayinclude a first barrel assembly 121 including a first lens barrel 121 ain which a first lens 121 b is disposed, a first mover 122 in which afirst driving portion 173 is disposed. The first lens barrel 121 a andthe first mover 122 may be a first housing, and the first housing mayhave a barrel or barrel shape. The first driving portion 173 may be amagnet driving portion, but is not limited thereto, and may be a coildriving portion including a coil in some cases.

Meanwhile, although only the first lens assembly 120 is showed in thedrawings, the second lens assembly 130 may also have a structurecorresponding to the first lens assembly 120. That is, the second lensassembly 130 may include a second barrel assembly (not shown) includinga second lens barrel in which a second lens (not shown) is disposed, anda second mover (not shown) in which a second driving portion (not shown)is disposed. Here, the second lens barrel and the second mover may be asecond housing, and the second housing may have a barrel or barrelshape. The second driving portion may be a magnet driving portion, butis not limited thereto, and may be a coil driving portion including acoil in some cases.

The first driving portion 173 may correspond to the two first rails 151a, and the second driving portion may correspond to the two second rails152 a.

In an embodiment, the first barrel assembly 121 and the first mover 122may be separated from each other. To this end, the first lens barrel 121a constituting the first barrel assembly 121 has a receiving space forreceiving the first lens 121 b therein, and an outer surface protrudesin a direction in which the first mover 122 is disposed, and includes afirst yoke receiving portion 121 c for receiving one configuration ofthe first driving portion 173 in the protruding interior. A third yoke173 b constituting the first driving portion 173 may be received in thefirst yoke receiving portion 121 c. The first yoke receiving portion 121c may also be referred to as a protruding portion or protrusion coupledto the first mover 122. In addition, a second yoke receiving portion(not shown) in which the fourth yoke is received may also be formed inthe second mover corresponding to the second lens assembly 130.

Meanwhile, the first mover 122 includes a first coupling portion 122 a.The first coupling portion 122 a may have a receiving space therein.Preferably, the receiving space of the first coupling portion 122 a maybe formed to correspond to the shape of an outer surface of the yokereceiving portion 121 c. The yoke receiving portion 121 c may be fittedand coupled to the first coupling portion 122 a.

In the camera module according to the embodiment, the first lensassembly 120 as a component of the camera actuator may be assembledafter the first mover 122 and the first barrel assembly 121 are notintegrally formed, but are separately formed.

That is, in the first lens assembly 120 in the prior art, the firstmover and the first barrel assembly are integrally formed. In this case,the first barrel assembly should be manufactured in consideration ofmany factors during manufacturing. That is, in the prior art, the firstbarrel assembly is designed in consideration of various factors such asthe shape and size of the first lens barrel based on the specificationof the first lens. However, when the first mover and the first barrelassembly are integrally formed as described above, in addition to thelens specifications, matters related to the movement that the firstmover must have should be considered in consideration of the design ofthe first lens barrel, and accordingly, there was a difficulty indesigning the first barrel assembly. That is, in the prior art, whendesigning the lens barrel, in addition to the lens specification, themovement-related configuration such as the ball arrangement position orthe magnet position must also be considered, and accordingly, there weretoo many considerations, which made the design difficult.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the driving portion isdisposed on the lens barrel so that movement-related operations are notperformed in the lens barrel itself, and by separately employing thefirst barrel assembly 121 and the first mover 122 that are separatelyformed and assembled, the easiness of designing the first barrelassembly 121 and the first mover 122 may be improved. That is, the firstbarrel assembly 121 in the embodiment may be designed in considerationof only the lens specifications, the first mover 122 only needs to bedesigned in consideration of matters related to the movement, andaccordingly, design easiness can be improved.

In addition, in the prior art, when the reliability of the actuator isevaluated, since all movement-related parts such as a magnet or a ballare disposed in the first lens barrel, and as described above, thereliability evaluation of the actuator was performed only in a state inwhich all parts such as the first lens barrel, the magnet, and the ballwere combined. Accordingly, in the prior art, when a problem occurs inthe performance of the actuator, the lens barrel itself must bediscarded, resulting in costly waste.

On the other hand, according to the embodiment, the first mover 122 andthe first barrel assembly 121 are designed separately. In this case,when evaluating the reliability of the actuator in the embodiment, thereliability evaluation related to the movement of the first mover 122may be performed in a state in which the first barrel assembly 121 isnot coupled to the first mover 122, and accordingly, the ease ofreliability evaluation can be improved. In addition, when a problemoccurs in the reliability evaluation of the first mover 122, only thefirst mover 122 needs to be discarded, and accordingly, themanufacturing cost can be significantly reduced.

In addition, the first mover 122 includes a second coupling portion 122b to which the first magnet 173 a of the first driving portion 731 iscoupled, and a first coupling portion 122 a to which a yoke receivingportion 121 c received the third yoke 173 b therein is coupled, and arerespectively disposed to opposite surfaces with respect to a frame.Accordingly, a gap between the first magnet 173 a and the third yoke 173b can be minimized, due to this, the magnetic force between the firstcoil 171 b and the first magnet 173 a is strengthened to maximize thedriving force of the first mover 122.

Meanwhile, in the embodiment, the first mover 122 and the second mover132 (refer to FIG. 14) may be driven using a single or a plurality ofballs. For example, the embodiment may include a first ball 181 disposedbetween the first guide portion 151 and the first mover 122 of the firstlens assembly 120, and a second ball 185, 186 disposed between thesecond guide portion 152 and the second mover 132 of the second lensassembly 130.

For example, the first ball 181 of the embodiment includes a single or aplurality of first-first balls 182 disposed on an upper side of thefirst mover 122 and a single or a plurality of first-second balls 183disposed on a lower side of the first mover 122.

In an embodiment, the first-first ball 182 of the first balls 181 movesalong the first-first rail 151 b that is one of the first rails 151 a,and the first-second ball 183 of the first balls 181 may move along afirst-second rail 151 c that is the other one of the first rails 151 a.

A camera actuator and the camera module the same according to theembodiment may align the plurality of lens groups by solving the problemof lens decenter or tilt during zooming, and through this, there is atechnical effect of remarkably improving image quality or resolution bypreventing a change in the angle of view or defocusing.

For example, according to the embodiment, the first guide portionincludes a first-first rail and a first-second-2 rail, and thefirst-first rail and the first-second rail guide the first lens assembly120, and accordingly, when the first lens assembly 1120 moves, there isa technical effect of increasing the accuracy of the optical axisalignment with the second lens assembly 130.

Meanwhile, in the embodiment, the first mover 122 of the first lensassembly 120 may include a first arrangement portion 122 c in which thefirst ball 181 is disposed. In addition, the second mover 132 of thesecond lens assembly 130 may include a second arrangement portion 187(refer to FIG. 14) in which the second ball 185 is disposed.

The first arrangement portions 122 c of the first mover 122 of the firstlens assembly 120 may be plural. Preferably, the first arrangementportion 122 c may include a first-first arrangement portion 122 c 1 inwhich the first-first ball 182 of the first balls 181 is disposed, and afirst-second arrangement portion 122 c 2 in which the first-second ball183 of the first balls 181 is disposed. The second arrangement portionof the second mover 132 of the second lens assembly 130 may be plural.Preferably, the second arrangement portion may include a second-firstarrangement portion 187 in which the second-first ball 185 of the secondballs is disposed, and a second-second arrangement portion (not shown)in which the second-second ball 186 of the second balls is disposed

In this case, the first-first arrangement portion 122 c 1 and thefirst-second arrangement portion 122 c 2 may have different shapes fromeach other. For example, the first-first arrangement portion 122 c 1 maybe spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, and mayhave a groove shape into which a plurality of first-first balls 182 arerespectively inserted. In this case, a distance between the plurality ofgrooves constituting the first-first arrangement portion 122 c 1 may belonger than a thickness of the first lens barrel 121 a based on theoptical axis direction.

Also, in an embodiment, the first-second arrangement portion 122 c 2 mayhave a rail shape. In other words, the first-second arrangement portion122 c 2 may be a ball rail extending in the optical axis direction. Inthis case, the first-second arrangement portion 122 c 2 may have anL-shape, but is not limited thereto. For example, the rail of thefirst-second arrangement portion 122 c 2 may be in a U-shape or V-shapeor a shape in contact with the plurality of first-second balls 183 attwo or three points, other than the L shape.

In addition, the first-second ball 183 of the first balls 181 isdisposed on the rail of the first-second arrangement portion 122 c 2. Atthis time, when the first-second balls 183 composed of a plurality aresimply disposed on the rail of the first-second arrangement portion 122c 2, a change may occur in an interval between the plurality offirst-second balls 183 according to the movement of the first lensassembly 120. In addition, when the plurality of first-second balls 183come into contact with each other according to a change in the spacingbetween the plurality of first-second balls 183, movementcharacteristics of the first lens assembly 120 may be affected, and aposition shift of the first lens assembly 120 may occur. Accordingly,the first ball guide portion 184 may be disposed between thefirst-second arrangement portion 122 c 2 and the first-second rail 151c. The first ball guide portion 184 may be a plate-shaped member. Thefirst ball guide portion 184 may include a groove (not shown) into whichthe plurality of first-second balls 183 are inserted. In addition, theplurality of first-second balls 183 may be inserted into the groove ofthe first ball guide portion 184, and disposed between the first-secondarrangement portion 122 c 2 of the first mover 122 and the first-secondrail 151 c. In addition, a second ball guide portion 188 (refer to FIG.14) may be disposed between the second-second arrangement portion andthe second-second rail.

Next, FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of driving a camera moduleaccording to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, an interaction in which electromagnetic force DEMis generated between the first magnet 173 a and the first coil portion171 b in the camera module according to the embodiment will bedescribed.

As in FIG. 6, a magnetization method of the first magnet 173 a in thecamera module according to the embodiment may be a verticalmagnetization method. For example, in the embodiment, both the N pole173 aN and the S pole 173 aS of the first magnet 173 a may be magnetizedto face the first coil portion 171 b. Accordingly, the N pole 173 aN andthe S pole 173 aS of the first magnet 173 a may be respectively disposedon the first coil portion 171 b to correspond to a region in whichcurrent flows in the y-axis direction perpendicular to the ground.

In the embodiment, when a magnetic force DM is applied in the directionopposite to the x-axis at the N pole 173 aN of the first magnet 173 aand a current DE flows in the y-axis direction in the region of thefirst coil portion 171 b corresponding to the N pole 173 aN, anelectromagnetic force (DEM) acts in the z-axis direction according toFleming's left hand rule.

In addition, in the embodiment, when a magnetic force DM is applied inthe x-axis direction at the S pole 173 aS of the first magnet 173 a andthe current DE flows in the opposite direction to the y-axisperpendicular to the ground in the first coil portion 171 bcorresponding to the S pole 173 aS, an electromagnetic force (DEM) actsin the z-axis direction according to Fleming's left hand rule.

At this time, since the third driving portion 171 including the firstcoil portion 171 b is in a fixed state, the first lens assembly 120including a first mover 122 on which a first magnet 173 a is disposedand a first lens barrel coupled to the first mover 122 may be movedbackward and forward along the rail of the first guide portion 151 in adirection parallel to the z-axis direction by the electromagnetic forceDEM according to the current direction. The electromagnetic force DEMmay be controlled in proportion to the current DE applied to the firstcoil portion 171 b.

Similarly, in the camera module according to the embodiment, when anelectromagnetic force (DEM) between the second magnet (not shown) andthe second coil portion 172 b is generated, the second lens assembly 130may move along the rail of the second guide portion 152 horizontally tothe optical axis.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a lower portion of the first lens assembly inthe camera module according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, the first lens assembly 120 includes a firstconductor 123. In addition, the second lens assembly 130 includes asecond conductor (not shown). The first conductor 123 may be made of ametal material through which electricity may pass, and may include, forexample, gold (Au), but is not limited thereto.

Specifically, the first conductor 123 is attached to a lower surface ofthe first lens assembly 120. Specifically, the first conductor 123 isattached to the lower surface of the first lens barrel 121 aconstituting the first barrel assembly 121 of the first lens assembly120.

The first conductor 123 may have a shape whose width changes in theoptical axis direction (z-axis direction). For example, the firstconductor 123 may have a triangular shape in which the width linearlydecreases or increases in the optical axis direction. A position of thefirst conductor 123 in the base 110 may change according to the movementof the first lens assembly 120. The first conductor 123 may be a targetfor detecting the position of the first lens assembly 120. In addition,the second conductor may have the same shape as the first conductor 123,but is not limited thereto. For example, the first conductor 123 mayhave a triangular shape, and the second conductor 123 may have a rhombusshape.

Preferably, the first conductor 123 interferes with the magnetic fieldgenerated by the first resonator 161 a (to be described later) disposedon a first substrate 161. That is, an interfering magnetic fieldcorresponding to the reverse direction of the magnetic field generatedin the first resonator 161 a is generated in the first conductor 123. Inaddition, the interfering magnetic field reduces the inductance of thefirst resonator 161 a. In this case, the intensity of the interferingmagnetic field generated in the first conductor 123 is changed accordingto the position of the first lens assembly 120. At this time, the widthof the first conductor 123 is changed toward the optical axis directioncorresponding to the moving direction of the first lens assembly 120 asdescribed above. Accordingly, the intensity of the interfering magneticfield generated by the first conductor 123 also increases or decreasesas the first lens assembly 120 moves in the optical axis direction.

At this time, assuming that the first resonator 161 a has a referenceinductance, the first resonator 161 a has a first inductance smallerthan the reference inductance due to the interfering magnetic fieldgenerated from the first conductor 123 according to the position of thefirst lens assembly 120. The position of the first conductor 123 may bedetected based on the first inductance, and the position of the firstlens assembly 120 may be detected based on the position of the firstconductor 123.

In addition, the second conductor disposed on the second lens assembly130 interferes with the magnetic field generated by the second resonator16 ba (to be described later) disposed on a first substrate 161. Thatis, an interfering magnetic field corresponding to the reverse directionof the magnetic field generated in the second resonator 161 b isgenerated in the second conductor. In addition, the interfering magneticfield reduces the inductance of the second resonator 161 b. In thiscase, the intensity of the interfering magnetic field generated in thesecond conductor is changed according to the position of the second lensassembly 130. At this time, the width of the second conductor is changedtoward the optical axis direction corresponding to the moving directionof the second lens assembly 120 as described above. Accordingly, theintensity of the interfering magnetic field generated by the secondconductor also increases or decreases as the second lens assembly 130moves in the optical axis direction.

At this time, assuming that the second resonator 161 b has a referenceinductance, the second resonator 161 b has a second inductance smallerthan the reference inductance due to the interfering magnetic fieldgenerated from the second conductor according to the position of thesecond lens assembly 130. The position of the second conductor may bedetected based on the second inductance, and the position of the secondlens assembly 130 may be detected based on the position of the secondconductor.

Positions on the first conductor 123 and the second conductor, and arelationship between the first resonator 161 a and the second resonator161 b, and position sensing operation of the first lens assembly 120 andthe second lens assembly 130 will be described in more detail below.

<Third Lens Assembly>

Next, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a third lens assembly in thecamera module according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in a firstdirection, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the third lens assembly140 shown in FIG. 8 in the second direction, and this is a perspectiveview from which the third lens was removed.

Referring to FIG. 8, in the embodiment, the third lens assembly 140 mayinclude a third housing 142, a third barrel 141, and a third lens 143.

In the embodiment, the third lens assembly 140 may include a barrelrecess 142 r on an upper end of the third barrel 141 so that thethickness of the third barrel 141 of the third lens assembly 140 can beuniformly matched. There is a complex technical effect that can increasethe accuracy of numerical management by reducing the amount of injectionmolded products.

Also, according to an embodiment, the third lens assembly 140 mayinclude a housing rib 142 a and a housing recess 142 b in the thirdhousing 142.

In the embodiment, the third lens assembly 140 includes a housing recess142 b in the third housing 142, thereby reducing the amount of injectionproducts to increase the accuracy of numerical management and at thesame time providing the third housing 142 with the housing rib 142 a,there is a complex technical effect that can secure the strength.

Next, referring to FIG. 9, the third lens assembly 140 may include asingle or a plurality of housing holes in the third housing 142. Forexample, the housing hole may include a third regular hole 142 ha and athird long hole 142 hb around the third barrel 141 of the third housing142.

The housing hole may be coupled to a first protrusion (not shown) thatmay be provided on the first guide portion 151 or the base 110, and asecond protrusion that may be provided on the second guide portion 152or the base 110 (not shown).

The third regular hole 142 ha may be a circular hole, and the third longhole 142 hb may have different diameters in a uniaxial direction and ina biaxial direction perpendicular thereto. For example, the third longhole 142 hb may have a larger diameter in a y-axis directionperpendicular to the x-axis than a diameter in an x-axis directionhorizontal to the ground.

The housing hole of the third lens assembly may include two thirdregular holes 142 ha and two third long holes 142 hb.

The third regular hole 142 ha may be disposed on the lower side of thethird housing 142, and the third long hole 142 hb may be disposed on theupper side of the third housing 142, but is not limited thereto.However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the thirdlong hole 142 hb may be positioned in a diagonal direction to eachother, and the third long hole 142 ha may be positioned in a diagonaldirection to each other.

In an embodiment, the third housing 142 of the third lens assembly 140may include a single or a plurality of housing protrusions 142 p. In theembodiment, reverse insertion can be prevented by providing the housingprotrusion 142 p on an inner side the third housing 142, and it can beprevented from being reversed left and right from being coupled to thebase 110.

The housing protrusion 142 p may be plural, for example, four, but isnot limited thereto. At this time, although not shown in the drawing,the housing protrusion 142 p may be coupled to a side recess (not shown)disposed to protrude from the side surface of the base 110.

<Base>

Next, FIG. 10a is a perspective view of a base in the camera moduleaccording to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in a first direction, andFIG. 10b is a perspective view of the base shown in FIG. 10A in a seconddirection.

Referring to FIG. 3, a first guide portion 151, a second guide portion152, a first lens assembly 120, and a second lens assembly 130 aredisposed in the base 110 according to the embodiment. The third lensassembly 140 may be disposed on one side of the base 110.

Referring back to FIG. 10a , the base 110 may have a shape in which theupper surface is removed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having aspace therein.

For example, the base 110 may include a first sidewall 111, a secondsidewall 112, a third sidewall 113, a fourth sidewall 114, and a lowerend of the first sidewall and a second sidewall 114, and a base lowersurface connecting between a lower end of the first sidewall 111 and alower end of the second sidewall 112. At this time, the base 110 in thefigure has a form in which a base upper surface connecting between anupper end of the first sidewall and an upper end of the second sidewallis removed, but the present invention is not limited thereto, accordingto an embodiment, the base 110 may include a base upper surface (notshown).

For example, the base 110 may include a first sidewall 111 and a secondsidewall 112 corresponding to the first sidewall 111. For example, thesecond sidewall 112 may be disposed in a direction facing the firstsidewall 111.

Meanwhile, the first sidewall 111 may include a third open region OR3.Also, the second sidewall 112 may include a fourth open region OR4. Thethird open region OR3 may be an opening exposing the third drivingportion 171. Preferably, the third open region OR3 may be an openingexposing the first coil portion 171 b constituting the third drivingportion 171. Preferably, the third open region OR3 may overlap and bealigned with the first coil portion 171 b and the first open region OR1of the first guide portion 151 in the x-axis direction.

The fourth open region OR4 may be an opening exposing the fourth drivingportion 172. Preferably, the fourth open region OR4 may be an openingexposing the second coil portion 172 b constituting the fourth drivingportion 172. Preferably, the fourth open region OR4 may overlap andalign with the second coil portion 172 b and the second open region OR2of the second guide portion 152 in the x-axis direction.

The base 110 further includes a third sidewall 113 disposed between thefirst sidewall 111 and the second sidewall and connecting the firstsidewall 111 and the second sidewall 112. The third sidewall 113 may bedisposed in a direction perpendicular to the first sidewall 111 and thesecond sidewall 112.

The first, second, and third sidewalls 111, 112, and 113 may be formedin an integral injection type with each other or may have a combinedconfiguration to each other.

Meanwhile, although not shown in the figure, a base protrusion (notshown) may be disposed on the fourth sidewall 114 of the base 110.

A plurality of the base protrusions may be disposed on the fourthsidewall 114.

The base protrusion may be coupled to a third regular hole and a thirdlong hole of the third lens assembly 140.

The fourth sidewall 114 may have an open shape, and thus may include afifth open region (not shown).

The first guide portion 151, the second guide portion 152, the firstlens assembly 120, and the second lens assembly 130 may be detachablycoupled to the inner side of the base 110 through the fifth open region.

An outer surface of the first sidewall 111 may include first baseprotrusions 111 a and 111 b protruding in the x-axis direction. Forexample, the first sidewall 111 may include a first-first baseprotrusion 111 a and a first-second base protrusion 111 b extending inthe y-axis direction. In the embodiment, by providing the first-firstbase protrusion 111 a and the first-second base protrusion 111 b on thefirst sidewall 111, when the first substrate 161 is assembled, epoxy oradhesive may be applied for bonding between the second rigid region RO2(to be described later) of the first substrate 161 and the base 110 toimprove a strong bonding force.

Meanwhile, a lower end of the outer surface of the first sidewall 111includes a plurality of first-third base protrusions 111 c extending inthe z-axis direction and spaced apart from each other by a predeterminedinterval. In addition, a space between the plurality of first-third baseprotrusions 111 c may form a first recess 111 d. When the firstsubstrate 161 is coupled to the base 110 through bending, the firstflexible region FO1 of the first substrate 161 may be positioned in thefirst recess 111 d, and accordingly, when the first substrate 161 isbent and coupled to the base 110 through bending, it may serve as aguide.

In addition, second recesses 111 e may be formed in the first-first baseprotrusion 111 a and the first-second base protrusion 111 b,respectively. The second recess 111 e may serve as a guide when thefirst yoke 171 a of the third driving portion 171 is coupled, andaccordingly, the coupling force of the first yoke 171 a may be improved.

The outer surface of the second sidewall 112 may include second baseprotrusions 112 a and 112 b protruding in the x-axis direction. Forexample, the second sidewall 112 may include a second-first baseprotrusion 112 a and a second-second base protrusion 112 b extending inthe y-axis direction. In the embodiment, by providing the second-firstbase protrusion 112 a and the second-second base protrusion 112 b on thesecond sidewall 112, When assembling the first substrate 161, an epoxyor adhesive is applied for bonding between the third rigid region RO3(to be described later) of the first substrate 161 and the base 110,thereby improving a strong bonding force.

On the other hand, the lower end of the outer surface of the secondsidewall 112 includes a plurality of second-third base protrusions (notshown) extending in the z-axis direction and spaced apart from eachother by a predetermined interval. In addition, a space between theplurality of second-third base protrusions may form a third recess (notshown). A second flexible region FO2 of the first substrate 161 may bepositioned in the third recess when the first substrate 161 is coupledto the base 110 through bending. Accordingly, the third recess may serveas a guide when the first substrate 161 is coupled to the base 110through bending.

In addition, fourth recesses (not shown) may be formed in thesecond-first base protrusion 112 a and the second-second base protrusion112 b, respectively. The fourth recess may serve as a guide when thesecond yoke 172 a of the fourth driving portion 172 is coupled, andaccordingly, the coupling force of the second yoke 172 a may beimproved.

Meanwhile, a second coupling portion 112 c may be disposed on an innersurface of the second sidewall 112. In addition, a first couplingportion (not shown) may be disposed on an inner surface of the firstsidewall 111.

The first coupling portion may be coupled to the first guide protrusionof the first guide portion 151, and accordingly, it is possible to guidethe first guide portion 151 to be stably and firmly coupled to the base110.

In addition, the second coupling portion 112 c is coupled to the secondguide protrusion of the second guide portion 152, accordingly, it ispossible to guide the second guide portion 152 to be stably and firmlycoupled to the base 110.

The base 110 may include a base lower surface 115.

An upper groove 115 a may be formed on an upper surface of the baselower surface 115. In the embodiment, by providing the upper groove 115a on the upper surface of the base lower surface 115, and it is possibleto prevent shrinkage during injection by maintaining a constantcross-sectional thickness for assembling the first guide portion 151 andthe second guide portion 152.

In addition, an upper recess 115 b may be provided on the upper surfaceof the base lower surface 115. A cover protrusion (described later) ofthe guide cover 190 may be fitted into the upper recess 115 b. In anembodiment, while maintaining the rigidity of the camera module, a guidecover 190 for protecting the first guide portion 151 and the secondguide portion 152 may be provided, and the coupling force with the guidecover 190 may be increased by providing the upper recess 115 b in thebase 110.

Also, referring to FIG. 10b , the lower surface of the base lowersurface 115 may include a first lower groove 115 c. In the embodiment,since the first lower groove 115 c is provided on the lower surface ofthe base lower surface 115, when the first substrate 161 is coupled, anepoxy or adhesive is applied for bonding between the first rigid regionRO1 of the first substrate 161 and the base 110, thereby improving astrong bonding force.

On the other hand, the lower surface of the base lower surface 115 mayinclude a second lower groove 115 d. In the embodiment, by providing thesecond lower groove 115 d on the lower surface of the base lower surface115, when the first substrate 161 is coupled, bending of the firstflexible region FO1 may be guided while fixing the first flexible regionFO1 of the first substrate 161.

In addition, the lower surface of the base lower surface 115 may includea third lower groove 115 e. In the embodiment, by providing the thirdlower groove 115 e in the lower surface of the base lower surface 115,when the first substrate 161 is coupled, bending of the second flexibleregion FO2 may be guided while fixing the second flexible region FO2 ofthe first substrate 161.

In addition, a sixth open region OR6 may be provided in the base lowersurface 115. The sixth open region OR6 may expose the first rigid regionRO1 of the first substrate 161 coupled thereunder. For example, thesixth open region OR6 may expose the first resonator 161 a and thesecond resonator 161 b disposed on the first rigid region RO1 of thefirst substrate 161. Preferably, the sixth open region OR6 may overlapand be aligned with the first resonator 161 a, the second resonator 161b, the first conductor 123, and the second conductor in the y-axisdirection.

<Guide Cover>

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a guide cover 190 in the camera moduleaccording to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

The guide cover 190 may be disposed in the base 110. The guide cover 190may cover the first guide portion 151 and the second guide portion 152disposed in the base 110.

To this end, the guide cover 190 may include a first cover sidewall 191and a second cover sidewall 192. In addition, the guide cover 190 mayinclude a cover lower surface 193 connecting a lower end of the firstcover side wall 191 and a lower end of the second cover side wall 192.

For example, the guide cover 190 may include a first cover sidewall 191and a second cover sidewall 192 corresponding to the first coversidewall 191. For example, the second cover sidewall 192 may be disposedin a direction facing the first cover sidewall 191.

Meanwhile, the first cover sidewall 191 may include a seventh openregion OR7. Also, the second cover sidewall 192 may include an eighthopen region OR8. The seventh open region OR7 may be an opening exposingthe first barrel assembly 121 of the first lens assembly 120.Preferably, the eighth open region OR8 may be an opening into which thefirst barrel assembly 121 is inserted.

The eighth open region OR8 may be an opening exposing the second barrelassembly of the second lens assembly 130. Preferably, the eighth openregion OR8 may be an opening into which the second barrel assembly isinserted.

The first cover sidewall 191 may be disposed on an inner side of thefirst mover 122 to cover the inner side of the first mover 122. Thesecond cover sidewall 192 may be disposed on an inner side the secondmover to cover the inner side of the second mover.

In addition, the guide cover 190 may include a first extension portion194 extending in the x-axis direction from the upper end of the firstcover sidewall 191. The first extension portion 194 may be disposed onthe upper surface of the first mover 122 to cover the upper surface ofthe first mover 122.

The guide cover 190 may include a second extension portion 195 extendingin the x-axis direction from the upper end of the second cover sidewall192. The second extension portion 195 may be disposed on the uppersurface of the second mover to cover the upper surface of the secondmover.

In addition, the guide cover 190 may include a cover lower surface 193.The cover lower surface 193 may be disposed in a direction perpendicularto the first cover sidewall 191 and the second cover sidewall 192.

The first cover sidewall 191, the second cover sidewall 192, and thecover lower surface 193 may be formed in an integral injection shapewith each other or may have a combined configuration.

The cover lower surface 193 may include a ninth open region OR9. Theninth open region OR9 may expose a lower surface of the first barrelassembly 121 of the first lens assembly 120 disposed thereon and a lowersurface of the second barrel assembly of the second lens assembly 130.In addition, the cover lower surface 193 may expose the first resonator161 a and the second resonator 161 b of the first substrate 161 disposedthereunder.

Meanwhile, a cover protrusion 193 a may be provided on the cover lowersurface 193. The cover protrusion 193 may be fitted in the upper recessprovided in the base 110.

The embodiment arranges the guide cover 190 in the base 110, and thestrength of the camera module can be improved while protecting the firstguide portion 151 and the second guide portion 152 through the guidecover 190.

<First Substrate>

FIG. 12a is a perspective view showing a first substrate in a firststate in a camera module according to an embodiment, FIG. 12b is a planview of the first substrate of FIG. 12a in a second state, and FIG. 12cis a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a first resonatordisposed on a first substrate in a camera module according to anembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12a , the first substrate 161 may be connected to apredetermined power supply unit (not shown) and supplied to the thirddriving portion 171, the fourth driving portion 172, the first resonator161 a, and the second resonator 161 b. The first substrate 161 mayinclude a circuit board having a wiring pattern that can be electricallyconnected, such as a rigid printed circuit board (Rigid PCB), a flexibleprinted circuit board (Flexible PCB), and a rigid flexible printedcircuit board (Rigid Flexible PCB). Preferably, the first substrate 161may be a rigid flexible printed circuit board (Rigid Flexible PCB).

Accordingly, the first substrate 161 may include a rigid region and aflexible region. Specifically, the first substrate 161 may include arigid region on which components are disposed and a flexible regionexcluding the rigid region.

Specifically, the first substrate 161 may include a first rigid regionRO1 in which the first resonator 161 a and the second resonator 161 bare disposed, a second rigid region RO2 in which the first coil portion171 b of the third driving portion 171, a third rigid region RO3 inwhich the second coil portion 172 b of the fourth driving portion 172, afirst flexible region FO1 between the first rigid region RO1 and thesecond rigid region RO2, and a second flexible region FO2 between thefirst rigid region RO1 and the third rigid region RO3.

Each of the first rigid region RO1, the second rigid region RO2, thethird rigid region RO3, the first flexible region FO1, and the secondflexible region FO2 may have a structure in which a plurality ofinsulating layers are stacked.

In this case, the plurality of insulating layers constituting the firstrigid region RO1, the second rigid region RO2, and the third rigidregion RO3 may be rigid or flexible. For example, the plurality ofinsulating layers constituting the first rigid region RO1, the secondrigid region RO2, and the third rigid region RO3 may include glass orplastic. In detail, the plurality of insulating layers constituting thefirst rigid region RO1, the second rigid region RO2, and the third rigidregion RO3 may include chemically strengthened/semi-tempered glass suchas soda lime glass or aluminosilicate glass, reinforced or flexibleplastics such as polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET),propylene glycol (PPG), polycarbonate (PC), or sapphire.

In addition, the plurality of insulating layers constituting the firstflexible region FO1 and the second flexible region FO2 may have aflexible characteristic having a stretchable characteristic. Theinsulating layer constituting the first flexible region FO1 and thesecond flexible region FO2 may be an insulating layer having a curved orbent characteristic.

Accordingly, the first substrate 161 may be bent while partially havinga flat surface and partially having a curved surface. Preferably, thefirst flexible region FO1 and the second flexible region FO2 may becurved while having a random curvature, or may have a surface includinga random curvature and may be bent or curved.

The first substrate 161 may be disposed on the outer side of each of thebase lower surface 115, the first sidewall 111, and the second sidewall112 of the base 110 by bending the first flexible region FO1 and thesecond flexible region FO2.

The first rigid region RO1 is a region in which the first resonator 161a and the second resonator 161 a are disposed. The first rigid regionRO1 may be disposed on an outer side the base lower surface 115 of thebase 110. That is, the first rigid region RO1 may be coupled to thefirst lower groove 115 c provided in the base lower surface 115 of thebase 110.

The second rigid region RO2 is a region in which the third drivingportion 171 for moving the first lens assembly 120 is disposed. Thesecond rigid region RO2 may be disposed on an outer side the firstsidewall 111 of the base 110. That is, the second rigid region RO2 maybe coupled to the base 110 between the first-first base protrusion 111 aand the first-second base protrusion 111 b provided on the firstsidewall 111 of the base 110.

The third rigid region RO3 is a region in which the fourth drivingportion 172 for moving the second lens assembly 130 is disposed. Thethird rigid region RO3 may be disposed on an outer side the secondsidewall 112 of the base 110. That is, the third rigid region RO3 may becoupled to the base 110 between the second-first base protrusion 112 aand the second-second base protrusion 112 b provided on the secondsidewall 112 of the base 110.

The first flexible region FO1 may also be referred to as a first bendingregion. The first flexible region FO1 may connect the first rigid regionRO1 disposed on an outer side of the base lower surface 115 of the base110 and the second rigid region RO2 disposed on an outer side of thefirst sidewall 111 of the base 110, by bending at one point.Accordingly, a part of the first flexible region FO1 may be disposed onthe outer side of the base lower surface 115 of the base 110 based on abending point, and the remaining part of the first flexible region FO1may be disposed on the outer side of the first sidewall 111 of the base110. That is, a part of the first flexible region FO1 may be coupled tothe second lower groove 115 d provided on the base lower surface 115,and the remaining part may be coupled to the first recess 111 d providedon the first sidewall 111.

The second flexible region FO2 may also be referred to as a secondbending region. The second flexible region FO2 may connect the firstrigid region RO1 disposed on the outer side of the base lower surface115 of the base 110 and the third rigid region RO3 disposed on an outerside of the second sidewall 112 of the base 110, by bending at onepoint. Accordingly, a part of the second flexible region FO2 may bedisposed on the outer side of the base lower surface 115 of the base 110based on a bending point, and the remaining part of the second flexibleregion FO2 may be disposed on the outer side of the second sidewall 112of the base 110. That is, a part of the second flexible region FO2 maybe coupled to the third lower groove 115 e provided on the base lowersurface 115, and the remaining part may be coupled to a recess (notshown) provided on the second sidewall 112.

Referring to FIG. 12b , the first substrate 161 has a bent shape basedon the first flexible region FO1 and the second flexible region FO2 asshown in FIG. 12a in a first state (e.g., a state coupled to the base),but first flexible region FO1 and the second flexible region FO2 of thefirst substrate 161 have a flat shape as shown in FIG. 12b in a secondstate (e.g., a state before being coupled to the base).

In addition, the first resonator 161 a and the second resonator 161 bare disposed on the first rigid region RO1 of the first substrate 161 tobe spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

In this case, the first resonator 161 a may include a first resonancecoil 161 a 1. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the firstresonator 161 a may include a first resonance capacitor 161 a 2connected with the first resonance coil 161 a 1 in series. The firstresonator 161 a may generate a magnetic field by resonating with aresonance frequency f. The first resonator 161 a may be a first positionsensor for detecting the position of the first lens assembly 120 basedon an inductance value that changes according to a change in thestrength of the generated magnetic field.

The second resonator 161 b may include a second resonance coil 161 b 1.In addition, although not shown in the figure, the second resonator 161b may include a second resonance capacitor (not shown) connected withthe second resonance coil 161 b 1 in series. The second resonator 161 bmay generate a magnetic field by resonating with a resonance frequencyf. The second resonator 161 b may be a second position sensor fordetecting the position of the second lens assembly 130 based on aninductance value that changes according to a change in the strength ofthe generated magnetic field.

Also, the first substrate 161 may further include a third flexibleregion FO3 extending from the first rigid region R01. The third flexibleregion FO3 may have a flat surface, and may be bent to have a curvedsurface in some cases. A terminal (not shown) connected to the secondsubstrate 162 or a terminal (not shown) connected to a main board (notshown) other than the second substrate 162 may be disposed in the thirdflexible region FO3 of the first substrate 161.

Also, a circuit pattern 161 c connected to the first resonator 161 a,the second resonator 161 b, the third driving portion 171, and thefourth driving portion 172 may be disposed on the first substrate 161.For example, the circuit pattern 151 c may be disposed on the firstrigid region RO1, the second rigid region RO2, the third rigid regionRO3, the first flexible region FO1, the second flexible region FO2 andthe third flexible region FO3 of the first substrate to transmit anelectric signa. For example, the circuit pattern 161 c may be included afirst circuit pattern 161 c 1 connected to the third driving portion 171and a second circuit pattern 161 c 2 connected to the fourth drivingportion 172.

A third driving portion 171 may be disposed on the second rigid regionRO2. Specifically, the first coil portion 171 b constituting the thirddriving portion 171 may be disposed on the second rigid region RO2.

In addition, the fourth driving portion 172 may be disposed on the thirdrigid region RO3. Specifically, the second coil portion 172 bconstituting the fourth driving portion 172 may be disposed on the thirdrigid region RO3.

Meanwhile, a width of the first rigid region RO1 in the z-axisdirection, a width of the second rigid region RO2 in the z-axisdirection, and a width of the third rigid region RO3 in the z-axisdirection may be the same, but is not limited thereto.

However, the width in the z-axis direction of the first flexible regionFO1 of the first substrate 161 and the width in the z-axis direction ofthe second flexible region FO2 may be narrower than the width of therigid regions RO1, RO2, and RO3. In an embodiment, bending of the firstsubstrate 161 may be facilitated by adjusting the widths of the firstflexible region FO1 and the second flexible region FO2.

Referring to FIG. 12c , the first resonator 161 a may include a firstresonance coil 161 a 1 and a first resonance capacitor 161 a 2. In thiscase, the first resonance coil 161 a 1 and the first resonance capacitor161 a 2 may be connected in series with each other. Also, although notshown in the drawing, an oscillator (not shown) may be disposed on thefirst substrate 161. The oscillator may generate an alternating signal.That is, the oscillator may generate an AC signal having a predeterminedresonance frequency, and the generated AC signal may be applied to thefirst resonator 161 a and the second resonator 161 b.

In addition, the first resonator 161 a may perform a resonance operationby receiving the AC signal generated from the oscillator. That is, thefirst resonator 161 a may generate a magnetic field in a peripheralregion by the applied AC signal.

The first resonance coil 161 a 1 and the first resonance capacitor 161 a2 may be referred to as an LC resonance circuit, and may oscillate byforming a so-called tank circuit.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining an operation principle of the first andsecond resonators according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, when an AC signal corresponding to a resonancefrequency is applied to the first resonator 161 a or the secondresonator 161 b by an oscillator, a first magnetic field is generatedaround the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 constituting the firstresonator 161 a and the second resonator 161 b.

In this case, the first and second conductors may be selectively presentin a region around the first magnetic field generated by the resonancecoils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1. The first conductor 123 is attached to thelower surface of the first lens assembly 120, and the second conductoris attached to the lower surface of the second lens assembly 130.

Here, the positions of the first conductor 123 and the second conductorchange as the first lens assembly 120 and the second lens assembly 130move.

In this case, the first conductor 123 is positioned in the upper regionof the first resonance coil 161 a 1, and the position moves within theupper region of the first resonance coil 161 a 1 according to themovement of the first lens assembly 120.

In addition, the second conductor is positioned in the upper region ofthe second resonance coil 161 b 1, and the position moves within theupper region of the second resonance coil 161 b 1 according to themovement of the second lens assembly 130.

In this case, the upper region of the first resonance coil 161 a 1 andthe upper region of the second resonance coil 161 b 1 do not overlapeach other. That is, the first conductor moves only in the upper regionof the first resonance coil 161 a 1 and does not move in the upperregion of the second resonance coil 161 b 1. In other words, the firstlens assembly 120 has a first stroke. In this case, the first lensassembly 120 may be a zoom lens assembly. Accordingly, the first lensassembly 120 has a first stroke between a tele position and a wideposition. In addition, the first conductor 123 within the first strokebetween the tele position and the wide position where the first lensassembly 120 can move is positioned only in the upper region of thefirst resonance coil 161 a 1 and, not positioned in the upper region ofthe second conductor.

In the embodiment, the first conductor 123 is positioned only in theupper region of the first resonance coil 161 a 1 within the first strokeof the first lens assembly 120, the inductance changed by the firstconductor 123 can be accurately measured in the first resonator 161 a,and it is possible to prevent the inductance of the second resonator 161b from being changed by the first conductor 123.

In addition, the second conductor moves only in the upper region of thesecond resonance coil 161 b 1 and does not move in the upper region ofthe first resonance coil 161 a 1. In other words, the second lensassembly 130 has a second stroke. In this case, the second lens assembly130 may be a focus lens assembly. Accordingly, the second lens assembly130 has a second stroke between the first focus position (the positionclosest to the image sensor within the range where the second lensassembly can move) and the second focus position (the position furthestfrom the image sensor within the range that the second lens assembly canmove). In addition, the second conductor within the second strokebetween the first focus position and the second focus position where thesecond lens assembly 130 can move is positioned only in the upper regionof the second resonance coil 161 b 1 and, not positioned in the upperregion of the first conductor.

In the embodiment, the second conductor is positioned only in the upperregion of the second resonance coil 161 b 1 within the second stroke ofthe second lens assembly 130, the inductance changed by the secondconductor can be accurately measured in the second resonator 161 b, andit is possible to prevent the inductance of the first resonator 161 afrom being changed by the first conductor 123.

On the other hand, when the first conductor 123 is positioned in theupper region of the first resonance coil 161 a 1 in the state in whichthe first magnetic field corresponding to the AC signal based on theresonance frequency f is being generated in the first resonance coil 161a 1 as described above, an eddy current is induced on the surface of thefirst conductor 123 by the first magnetic field.

In addition, the first conductor 123 generates a second magnetic fieldby the induced eddy current. At this time, the second magnetic field isgenerated in the opposite direction to the first magnetic field, andthus interferes with the first magnetic field generated by the firstresonance coil 161 a 1. That is, the second magnetic field generated bythe first conductor 123 acts as an interfering magnetic field thatinterferes with the first magnetic field. In addition, the secondmagnetic field reduces the strength of the first magnetic field, andthus reduces the inductance of the first resonator 161 a. Here, thedecrease in the strength of the first magnetic field may mean that avoltage applied to the first resonance coil 161 a 1 decreases, and alsomay mean that a current flowing in the first resonance coil 161 a 1decreases.

In this case, a reduction width of the inductance increases inproportion to the strength of the second magnetic field. That is, as thedistance between the first conductor 123 and the first resonance coil161 a 1 increases, the reduction width of the inductance increases.Also, as the overlapping region of the first conductor 123 and the firstresonance coil 161 a 1 in the y-axis direction increases, the reductionwidth of the inductance increases.

In addition, the inductance digital converter LDC may be connected tothe first resonator 161 a, and accordingly obtain a digital valuecorresponding to a change in the inductance value of the first resonator161 a.

At this time, the digital value output from the inductance digitalconverter (LDC) indicates how much the current position is moved basedon the initial position of the first lens assembly 120 or the secondlens assembly 130, and the current position of the first lens assembly120 or the second lens assembly 130 may be detected based on the digitalvalue.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A′ in the cameramodule of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 14, the first guide portion 151, the second guideportion 152, the first lens assembly 120, and the second lens assembly130 are disposed in the base 110.

In addition, a first conductor 123 is disposed on a lower surface of thefirst lens assembly 120, and a second conductor is disposed on a lowersurface of the second lens assembly 130.

Also, on the upper surface of the first substrate 161, the firstresonator 161 a is disposed in a lower region corresponding to the firststroke of the first lens assembly 120, and the second resonator 161 b isdisposed in the lower region corresponding to the second stroke of thesecond lens assembly 130.

In addition, a linear distance in the y-axis direction at which thefirst resonator 161 a and the first conductor 123 are disposed, that is,a region between the first resonator 161 a and the lower surface of thefirst lens assembly 120 on which the first conductor 123 is disposedincludes a gap corresponding to a first distance G. In this case, aninductance change width of the first resonator 161 a varies according tothe first distance G. Here, the inductance change width may mean aninductance change amount of the first resonator 161 a when the firstconductor 123 moves from the first position to the second position. Atthis time, it was confirmed that as the first distance G decreased, theamount of change in inductance increased, and thus the positiondetection accuracy was improved. And, as the first distance G increases,the amount of change in inductance decreases, and thus it can beconfirmed that accurate position detection is difficult.

The amount of change in inductance of the first resonator 161 aaccording to the first distance G is shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 First distance (G)(mm) 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 amount of 1.6111.534 1.437 1.324 1.246 1.164 change (uH)

As described above, it was confirmed that the magnetic flux with respectto the second magnetic field generated in the first conductor 123increases as the first distance G decreases, and accordingly, it wasconfirmed that the amount of change in inductance of the first resonator161 a can be increased.

However, if the first distance G becomes too small, the movement of thefirst lens assembly 120 may be affected, and the inductance of the firstresonator 161 a may be changed by being influenced by the secondconductor other than the first conductor 123. Therefore, the firstdistance G in the embodiment is to have a range of 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm. Inthis case, when the first distance G is less than 0.1 mm, the firstresonator 161 a may affect the movement characteristics of the firstlens assembly 120. In addition, when the first distance G is smallerthan 0.1 mm, the inductance of the first resonator 161 a is changed bybeing influenced by the second conductor attached to the second lensassembly 130 other than the first conductor 123, accordingly, it may bedifficult to accurately detect the position of the first lens assembly120. In addition, when the first distance G is greater than 0.2 mm, theamount of change in inductance of the first resonator according to achange in the position of the first lens assembly is small, andaccordingly, it may be difficult to accurately detect the position ofthe first lens assembly.

Also, the second resonator 161 b may be designed to correspond to thedesign condition of the first resonator 161 a.

Meanwhile, inductive sensing is basically measured by changes ininductance of the resonator and resonance impedance (Rp). In this case,the two parameters are affected by the design, components, and drivingconditions of the resonance coil. In this case, Rp is affected by thethermal constant of a coil and a conductor, and the inductance of theresonator is affected by the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) ofthe coil structure (e.g., the substrate). And, since this effect has avery small effect on the inductance change of the entire resonance coil,the inductance change of the resonator is not affected by the thermalchange compared to the Hall sensor.

FIG. 15 is a view showing a change in characteristics of a resonatoraccording to a resonance frequency according to an embodiment.

Meanwhile, the first resonator 161 a or the second resonator 161 bconstitutes a resonance circuit and performs an oscillation operationcorresponding to the resonance frequency f. At this time, the resonancefrequency f is

${f\lbrack{Hz}\rbrack} - {\frac{1}{2\pi\sqrt{LC}}.}$

Here, L is the inductance of the resonance coil constituting the firstresonator 161 a or the second resonator 161 b, and C is the capacitanceof the resonance capacitor constituting the first resonator 161 a or thesecond resonator 161 b. And, as shown in FIG. 15, the inductance of theresonance coil and the capacitance of the resonance capacitor changeaccording to the resonance frequency.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining a position sensing operation of thelens assembly according to the embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 16, a first resonance coil 161 a 1 and a secondresonator 161 b may be disposed on the first substrate 161 to be spacedapart from each other by a predetermined interval. The upper region ofthe substrate 161 may be divided into a first region R1 and a secondregion R2. In this case, the first region R1 is a position sensingregion provided by the first resonance coil 161 a 1, and the secondregion R2 is a position sensing region provided by the second resonancecoil 161 b 1.

In other words, when a metal material is present on the first region R1,the inductance of the first resonator 161 a may be changed by the metalmaterial. Also, when a metal material is present on the second regionR2, the inductance of the second resonator 161 b may be changed by themetal material present on the second region R2.

In this case, the first conductor 123 attached to the lower surface ofthe first lens assembly 120 may move only within a range between thefirst position P1 and the third position P3 corresponding to the firststroke S1 having the first lens assembly 120. In this case, the movableregion of the first conductor 123 does not overlap the second region R2.Accordingly, the inductance of the second resonator 161 b does notchange due to the first conductor 123.

The second conductor 133 attached to the lower surface of the secondlens assembly 130 may move only within a range between the firstposition P1′ and the third position P3′ corresponding to the secondstroke S2 having the second lens assembly 130. In this case, the movableregion of the second conductor 133 does not overlap the first region R1.Accordingly, the inductance of the first resonator 161 a does not changedue to the second conductor 133.

On the other hand, as the distance between the first resonator 161 a andthe first conductor 123 increases, furthermore, as the overlappingregion between the first conductor 123 and the first resonance coil 161a 1 increases in the y-axis direction, the inductance of the firstresonator 161 a is reduced under the influence of the interferingmagnetic field generated in the first conductor 123.

In addition, as the distance between the second resonator 161 b and thesecond conductor 133 increases, furthermore, as the overlapping regionbetween the second conductor 133 and the second resonance coil 161 b 1increases in the y-axis direction, the inductance of the secondresonator 161 b is reduced under the influence of the interferingmagnetic field generated in the second conductor 133.

Referring to FIG. 16(a), when the first lens assembly 120 is in the teleposition, and thus the first conductor 123 is present in the firstposition P1, the first resonator 161 a may have a first-firstinductance. In this case, the first-first inductance may have a valuesimilar to that of the first reference inductance. Here, the firstreference inductance may mean an inductance of the first resonator 161 ain a state in which an interfering magnetic field does not exist.However, even when the first conductor 123 is present at the firstposition P1, the inductance of the first resonator 161 a may be reducedby the interfering magnetic field generated in the first conductor 123,and, accordingly, the first-first inductance may be smaller than thefirst reference inductance.

In addition, when the second lens assembly 130 is in the first focusposition, and thus the second conductor 133 is present in the firstposition P1′, the second resonator 161 b may have second-firstinductance. In this case, the second-first inductance may have a valuesimilar to that of the second reference inductance. Here, the secondreference inductance may mean an inductance of the second resonator 161b in a state in which an interfering magnetic field does not exist.However, even when the second conductor 123 is present at the firstposition P1′, the inductance of the second resonator 161 b may bereduced by the interfering magnetic field generated in the secondconductor 133, and, accordingly, the second-first inductance may besmaller than the second reference inductance.

Referring to FIG. 16(b), when the first lens assembly 120 is in aposition between the tele position and the wide position, and thus thefirst conductor 123 is present in the second position P2, the firstresonator 161 a may have a first-second inductance. In this case, thefirst-second inductance may have a value similar to that of the firstreference inductance and the first-first inductance. That is, as theposition of the first lens assembly 120 moves, the position of the firstconductor 123 also moves. In addition, when the first conductor 123 isin the second position P2 than when it is in the first position P1, theintensity of the interfering magnetic field is greater, and accordingly,the inductance of the first resonator 161 a may have the first-secondinductance that is decreased by a predetermined value from thefirst-first inductance.

In addition, when the second lens assembly 130 is in a second focusposition, and thus the second conductor 133 is present in the secondposition P2′ between the first position P1′ and the second position P3′,the second resonator 161 b may have a second-second inductance. In thiscase, the second-second inductance may have a value similar to that ofthe second reference inductance and the second-first inductance. Thatis, as the position of the second lens assembly 130 moves, the positionof the second conductor 133 also moves. In addition, when the secondconductor 133 is in the second position P2′ than when it is in the firstposition P1′, the intensity of the interfering magnetic field isgreater, and accordingly, the inductance of the second resonator 161 bmay have the second-second inductance that is decreased by apredetermined value from the second-first inductance.

Referring to FIG. 16(c), when the first lens assembly 120 is moved tothe wide position, which is a maximum movable position, and thus thefirst conductor 123 is present in the third position P3, the firstresonator 161 a may have a first-third inductance. In this case, thefirst-third inductance may have a value similar to that of the firstreference inductance, the first-first inductance and the first-secondinductance. That is, as the position of the first lens assembly 120moves, the position of the first conductor 123 also moves. In addition,when the first conductor 123 is in the third position P3 than when it isin the first position P1 or the second position P2, the intensity of theinterfering magnetic field is greater, and accordingly, the inductanceof the first resonator 161 a may have the first-third inductance that isdecreased by a predetermined value from the first-second inductance.

In addition, when the second lens assembly 120 is moved to the thirdfocus position, which is a maximum movable position, and thus the secondconductor 133 is present in the third position P3′, the second resonator161 b may have a second-third inductance. In this case, the second-thirdinductance may have a value similar to that of the second referenceinductance, the second-first inductance and the second-secondinductance. That is, as the position of the second lens assembly 130moves, the position of the second conductor 133 also moves. In addition,when the second conductor 133 is in the third position P3′ than when itis in the first position P1′ or the second position P2′, the intensityof the interfering magnetic field is greater, and accordingly, theinductance of the second resonator 161 b may have the second-thirdinductance that is decreased by a predetermined value from thesecond-second inductance.

As described above, when the first lens assembly 120 moves, the firstconductor 123 attached to the first lens assembly 120 causes aninductance change of the first resonator 161 a. At this time, theinductance is changed in proportion to the amount of movement of thefirst lens assembly 120, accordingly, the position of the firstconductor 123 and the position of the first lens assembly 120corresponding thereto can be detected by sensing the inductance of thefirst resonator 161 a.

As described above, when the second lens assembly 130 moves, the secondconductor 133 attached to the second lens assembly 130 causes aninductance change of the second resonator 161 b. At this time, theinductance is changed in proportion to the amount of movement of thesecond lens assembly 130, accordingly, the position of the secondconductor 133 and the position of the second lens assembly 130corresponding thereto can be detected by sensing the inductance of thesecond resonator 161 b.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing a positional relationship of a lens assemblycorresponding to an output value of an inductance digital converter(LDC) according to an embodiment.

An inductance digital converter LDC detects the inductance of the firstresonator 161 a, converts and outputs it into a first digital value. Inthis case, the inductance digital converter LDC may detect the resonanceimpedance Rp. In this case, the resonance impedance Rp may be calculatedas follows.

Rp=L/(Rs*c)

Here, Rp is the resonance impedance, L is the inductance, Rs is theseries resistance value of the resonator, and C is the capacitance ofthe resonator.

The inductance digital converter LDC detects the inductance of the firstresonator 161 a, converts and outputs it into a first digital value. Inthis case, the inductance of the first resonator 161 a is linearlychanged according to the movement of the first lens assembly 120 withinthe first stroke of the first lens assembly 120. And, as shown in FIG.17, a position of the first lens assembly 120 may be detected based onthe first digital value (LDC output (Rp)).

The inductance digital converter LDC detects the inductance of thesecond resonator 161 b, converts and outputs it into a second digitalvalue. At this time, the inductance of the second resonator 161 b islinearly changed according to the movement of the second lens assembly130 within the second stroke of the second lens assembly 130. And, asshown in FIG. 17, a position of the second lens assembly 130 may bedetected based on the second digital value (LDC output (Rp)).

FIG. 18a is a view showing various embodiments of a shape of a conductorin a camera module according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 18a , the conductors 123 and 133 may have a shape inwhich the width gradually changes in the direction of the optical axis.For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the conductors 123 and 133 may have atriangular shape in a plane shape and a straight line at each sidethereof.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 18a (a), the conductors 123 and 133 mayhave a triangular shape in a plane shape and a curve at each sidethereof.

Also, alternatively, referring to FIG. 18a (b), the conductors 123 and133 may have a rhombus shape in a plane shape and a straight line ateach side thereof.

Also, alternatively, referring to FIG. 18a (c), the conductors 123 and133 may have a rhombic shape in a plane shape and a curve at each sidethereof.

However, the conductors 123 and 133 in the embodiment are not limited tothe above-described shapes, and any shape in which the width linearlyincreases or decreases in the optical axis direction may be used as theshape of the conductors 123 and 133.

Meanwhile, when the conductors 123 and 133 have a rectangular shape withno change in width in the optical axis direction, it may be difficult toaccurately detect the position of the lens assembly.

FIG. 18b is a view for explaining a problem in the case where theconductor has a rectangular shape.

Referring to FIG. 18b , when the conductor 20 has a rectangular shape,there is a problem in that position sensing is impossible or accurateposition sensing is difficult depending on the position of the lensassembly.

That is, referring to FIG. 18b (a), when the conductor 20 is in thefirst position, an area of the overlapping region the y-axis directionbetween the conductor 20 and the resonance coil 10 may be ‘A’.

At this time, referring to FIG. 18b (b), even when the conductor 123moves from the first position to the second position, an area of theoverlapping region between the conductor 20 and the resonance coil 10 inthe y-axis direction may be ‘A’. In other words, when the conductor 20has a rectangular shape with no change in width in the optical axisdirection, the inductance of the resonator may be the same even when thepositions of the conductors 20 are different from each other. In thiscase, since there are two conditions corresponding to one result value,it is impossible to detect at which position the lens assembly ispositioned among the two, thereby reducing the reliability of the cameramodule.

On the other hand, in the embodiment, the first conductor 123 and thesecond conductor 133 have a shape in which the width changes in thedirection of the optical axis. Preferably, the first conductor 123 andthe second conductor 133 may have a triangular planar shape.Accordingly, in the embodiment, only one condition corresponding to oneresult value exists, and accordingly, the position of the lens assemblymay be accurately recognized using the digital value output from theinductance digital converter LDC.

<Resonator>

Hereinafter, the resonator according to the embodiment will be describedin detail.

FIG. 19a is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a resonatoraccording to an embodiment, and FIG. 19b is a plan view of the resonatorshown in FIG. 19 a.

Referring briefly to FIGS. 12a and 12b , the first substrate 161includes a first resonator 161 a and a second resonator 161 b. And, inthis case, the first resonator 161 a may include a first resonance coil161 a 1. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the firstresonator 161 a may include a first resonance capacitor 161 a 2connected with the first resonance coil 161 a 1 in series. The firstresonator 161 a may generate a magnetic field by resonating with aresonance frequency f. The first resonator 161 a may be a first positionsensor for detecting the position of the first lens assembly 120 basedon an inductance value that changes according to a change in thestrength of the generated magnetic field.

That is, the first resonance capacitor 161 a 2 forms a first LCresonance circuit together with the first resonance coil 161 a 1.Preferably, the first resonance capacitor 161 a 2 and the firstresonance coil 161 a 1 may be a first parallel LC resonance circuitconnected in parallel with each other. The first parallel LC resonancecircuit may vibrate at a resonance frequency f to generate a magneticfield having a magnitude corresponding to the resonance frequency f.

The second resonator 161 b may include a second resonance coil 161 b 1.In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the second resonator 161b may include a second resonance capacitor (not shown) connected withthe second resonance coil 161 b 1 in series. The second resonator 161 bmay generate a magnetic field by resonating with the resonance frequencyf. The second resonator 161 b may be a second position sensor fordetecting the position of the second lens assembly 130 based on aninductance value that changes according to a change in the strength ofthe generated magnetic field.

That is, the second resonance capacitor forms a second LC resonancecircuit together with the second resonance coil 161 b 1. Preferably, thesecond resonance capacitor and the second resonance coil 161 b 1 may bea second parallel LC resonance circuit connected in parallel with eachother. The second parallel LC resonance circuit may vibrate at theresonance frequency f to generate a magnetic field having a magnitudecorresponding to the resonance frequency f.

Referring back to FIG. 19a , the first substrate 161 includes aninsulating layer 161 d and resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 disposedon the insulating layer 161 d. In this case, a resonance capacitor (notshown) disposed adjacent to the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 maybe included on the insulating layer 161 d. That is, each of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 include one end and the other end.In addition, one end of the resonance capacitor may be connected to oneend of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1, and the other end of theresonance capacitor may be connected to the other end of the resonancecoils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1. Also, both ends of the resonance capacitormay be connected to an input terminal (not shown) of the inductancedigital converter LDC.

Meanwhile, the insulating layer 161 d may have a plurality of layerstructures. In this case, the insulating layer 161 d may include aninsulating layer material having a flexible characteristic and aninsulating layer material having a rigid characteristic such that aportion of the region has a flexible characteristic and the remainingpartial region has a rigid characteristic. In addition, the insulatinglayer 161 d disposed on the rigid region may include both the insulatinglayer material having a rigid characteristic and a flexiblecharacteristic. In addition, an insulating layer material having aflexible characteristic may be only disposed in the insulating layer 161d disposed on the flexible region.

Resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed on the insulatinglayer 161 d. In this case, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 maybe disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predeterminedinterval on the insulating layer 161 d.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 19a (a), the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161b 1 may have a structure in which they protrude from the insulatinglayer 161 d. Also, as shown in FIG. 19a (b), a groove 161 dgcorresponding to a coil shape may be formed on a surface of theinsulating layer 161 d, and accordingly, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and161 b 1 may have a structure buried in the groove 161 dg.

Such resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be formed by performing anetching process, and may be formed by performing a plating processdifferently from this.

When the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 are formed through anetching process, a metal layer (not shown) may be disposed on theinsulating layer 161 d, and the metal layer may be etched to correspondto the coil shape to form the resonance coils 161 a 1, 161 b 1.

In addition, when the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 are formedthrough the plating process, a mask (not shown) having an openingcorresponding to the coil shape may be formed on the insulating layer161 d, and accordingly, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may beformed by performing plating (electroless plating or electrolyticplating) to fill the opening of the mask.

Referring to FIG. 19B, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may bedisposed on the insulating layer 161 d by turning the plurality oftimes. That is, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be wound onthe insulating layer 161 d with a predetermined number of turns. Theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed as a single layer onthe insulating layer 161 d. An outer surface of the resonance coils 161a 1 and 161 b 1 may be coated with an insulating material or coveredwith an insulating layer, but are not limited thereto. The resonancecoils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed on the insulating layer 161 dwith the number of turns in the range of 7 to 11 turns. Preferably, theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed on the insulatinglayer 161 d with the number of turns in the range of 8 to 10 turns. Morepreferably, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed onthe insulating layer 161 d by turning 9 times. The number of turns ofthe resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is related to the totalinductance of the resonance part. As the number of turns of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 increases, the total inductance ofthe resonator also increases, and the range of change in inductance alsoincreases. In addition, when the change range of the inductanceincreases, the position of the lens assembly may be more accuratelydetected. However, as the number of turns of the resonance coils 161 a 1and 161 b 1 increases, there is a problem in that the size of the cameramodule increases or the product price increases. Accordingly, in theembodiment, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 are turned 9 timesto be disposed on the insulating layer 161 d.

Meanwhile, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 have a predeterminedthickness and are disposed on the insulating layer 161 d. At this time,as the thickness of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 increases,the total inductance of the resonator also increases. The thicker thethickness of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is, the better.However, when the thickness of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1is thin, the total inductance becomes small, the number of turns of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 must be increased to compensate forthis, however, it is constrained by limited PCB space. In addition, whenthe thickness of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is thin, theresistance increases and signal loss occurs in the process oftransmitting high-frequency signals (MHz or higher), and it may be moreaffected by the parasitic capacitor generated between the inductance.Therefore, in the embodiment, the thickness of the resonance coils 161 a1 and 161 b 1 is set to have a minimum thickness of 50 μm or more. Inaddition, in the embodiment, the thickness (H, see FIG. 19A) of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is 1 mm or less. For example, thethickness H of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may range from 50um to 1 mm. When the thickness H of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161b 1 exceeds 1 mm, the thickness of the insulating layer must alsoincrease as much as the thickness of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161b 1, accordingly, there is a problem in that the overall size of theresonator increases.

Also, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed on theinsulating layer 161 d to have a predetermined width W, have theabove-described number of turns, and be spaced apart from each other bya predetermined interval S. In this case, the width W of the resonancecoils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may range from 50 um to 1 mm. That is, whenthe width of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is smaller than 50um, the total inductance decreases, the number of turns of the resonancecoils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 must be increased to compensate for this, andthis is limited by the limited PCB space. In addition, when the width ofthe resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is smaller than 50 um, theresistance increases and signal loss occurs in the process oftransmitting a signal of a high-frequency signal (MHz or higher), and itmay be more affected by the parasitic capacitor generated between theinductance.

Also, for the same reason as described above, the spacing S of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be in a range of 50 μm to 300μm. When the spacing S of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 isless than 50 μm, accurate inductance sensing may not be possible due tomutual interference between neighboring coils. Also, when the spacing Sbetween the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 is greater than 300 μm,the PCB space occupied by the resonance coils increases under thecondition that the resonance coils have the same total inductance.

Meanwhile, the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 may be disposed onthe insulating layer 161 d to surround the first region and have theabove-described number of turns. In this case, the width of the firstregion may correspond to an inner width Din of the resonance coils 161 a1 and 161 b 1. The inner width Din may mean a width of a portion havingthe smallest distance of a straight line crossing the centers of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 on the inner surfaces of theresonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1. Also, the resonance coils 161 a 1and 161 b 1 may have a predetermined outer width Dout. The outer widthDout may mean a width of a portion on the outer surface of the resonancecoils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 in which the distance of a straight linecrossing the centers of the resonance coils 161 a 1 and 161 b 1 isgreatest. In this case, in the embodiment, the outer width Dout is atleast three times greater than the inner width Din. When the outer widthDout is less than three times the inner width Din, the change widthdecreases as the total inductance decreases, and accordingly, it may bedifficult to accurately detect the position of the lens assembly.

FIG. 20a is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a resonatoraccording to another exemplary embodiment, FIG. 20b is a viewspecifically showing a resonance coil in the resonator shown in FIG. 20a, and FIG. 20c is an equivalent circuit diagram of the resonator shownin FIGS. 20a and 20 b.

Referring to FIG. 20a , the camera module includes a resonator 400. Inthis case, the resonator 400 may be any one of the previously describedfirst resonator 161 a and the second resonator 161 b. Hereinafter, forconvenience of description of the first resonator 161 a and the secondresonator 161 b, one of them will be referred to as the resonator 400.However, it should be borne in mind that the resonator 400 below mayreplace the first resonator 161 a and the second resonator 161 b.

The resonator 400 may have a plurality of layer structures. Morepreferably, as described above, the resonator 400 may include aninsulating layer 410, a resonance coil 420 and a resonance capacitor 430disposed on the insulating layer 410. In addition, the insulating layer410 may have a plurality of stacked structures.

The insulating layer 410 may include a first insulating layer 411, asecond insulating layer 412, a third insulating layer 413, and a fourthinsulating layer 414. That is, the insulating layer 410 may have afour-layer structure, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the resonance coil 420 includes a first coil portion 421disposed on the first insulating layer 411, a second coil portion 422disposed on the second insulating layer 412, a third coil portion 423disposed on the third insulating layer 413, and a fourth coil portion424 disposed on the fourth insulating layer 414.

That is, in the embodiment, the resonance coil 420 has a plurality oflayer structures and is disposed on the plurality of insulating layers.Accordingly, in the embodiment, the length of the resonance coil 420 maybe increased, and correspondingly, the total inductance of the resonatormay be increased to increase the change width.

At this time, each of the first coil portion 421, the second coilportion 422, the third coil portion 423, and the fourth coil portion 424is disposed to have a circular spiral structure as shown in FIG. 19 b.

The first coil portion 421, the second coil portion 422, the third coilportion 423, and the fourth coil portion 424 may be connected to eachother in series through the vias V1, V2, V3, and V4. Accordingly, in theembodiment, it is possible to provide a resonator having a highinductance within a minimum PCB area.

To this end, a first via V1 is formed in the second insulating layer412. The first via V1 may have one end connected to the first coilportion 421 and the other end connected to the second coil portion 422.In addition, the first coil portion 421 may be connected in series withthe second coil portion 422 through the first via V1.

A second via V2 is formed in the third insulating layer 413. The secondvia V2 may have one end connected to the second coil portion 422 and theother end connected to the third coil portion 423. In addition, thesecond coil portion 422 may be connected in series with the third coilportion 423 through the second via V2.

A third via V3 is formed in the fourth insulating layer 414. The thirdvia V3 may have one end connected to the third coil portion 423 and theother end connected to the fourth coil portion 424. In addition, thethird coil portion 423 may be connected in series with the fourth coilportion 424 through the third via V3.

At this time, the first coil portion 421, the second coil portion 422,the third coil portion 423, and the fourth coil portion may be formed byan additive process, a subtractive process, a modified semi additiveprocess (MSAP) and a semi additive process (SAP) method, which is atypical printed circuit board manufacturing process, and a detaileddescription thereof will be omitted herein.

In addition, each of the first to third vias V1, V2, and V3 is disposedto pass through any one of the second to fourth insulating layers 412,413, and 414. Preferably, each of the first to third vias V1, V2, and V3may be formed by filling an inside of a via hole (not shown) passingthrough any one of the second to fourth insulating layers 412, 413, and414 with a conductive material or plating with a conductive material.

A metal material for forming the first to third vias V1, V2, V3 may beany one material selected from Cu, Ag, Sn, Au, Ni, and Pd, and the metalmaterial may be filled using any one of electroless plating,electrolytic plating, screen printing, sputtering, evaporation, inkjetting and dispensing or combination thereof.

In this case, the via hole may be formed by any one of processingmethods, including mechanical, laser, and chemical processing.

When the via hole is formed by mechanical processing, methods such asmilling, drilling, and routing may be used, and when the via hole isformed by laser processing, a UV or CO₂ laser method may be used, andwhen the via hole is formed by chemical processing, drugs containingaminosilane, ketones, etc. may be used, and the like, thereby theinsulating layers may be opened.

Meanwhile, a pad portion 440 is disposed on the fourth insulating layer414, and a resonance capacitor 430 may be attached to the pad portion440. In this case, one end of the resonance capacitor 430 is connectedto the fourth coil portion 424, and the other end of the resonancecapacitor 430 is connected to the first coil portion 421. To this end,the resonator 400 may include a fourth via V4 disposed to pass throughthe second insulating layer 412, the third insulating layer 413, and thefourth insulating layer 414 in common. The fourth via V4 may have oneend connected to the first coil portion 421 and the other end connectedto the resonance capacitor 430.

Referring to FIG. 20b , currents may flow in the same direction as eachother in the first coil portion 421, the second coil portion 422, thethird coil portion 423, and the fourth coil portion 424. To this end,the first coil portion 421, the second coil portion 422, the third coilportion 423, and the fourth coil portion 424 may be disposed on theinsulating layer 410 by turning in different directions.

Preferably, the first coil portion 421, the second coil portion 422, thethird coil portion 423, and the fourth coil portion 424 may include oneend and the other end, respectively.

In this case, one end of each of the first coil portion 421, the secondcoil portion 422, the third coil portion 423, and the fourth coilportion 424 may be an end disposed on an inner side of the coil, and theother end may be an end disposed on an outer side the coil.

In addition, the turning direction of each of the first coil portion421, the second coil portion 422, the third coil portion 423, and thefourth coil portion 424 may mean a direction starting from the other endand turning to one end, differently, it may mean a direction startingfrom the other end and turning to one end. Hereinafter, the turningdirection of each coil portion will be described as a rotationaldirection from the other end positioned on the inner side to one endpositioned on the outer side.

For example, the first coil portion 421 may be disposed on the firstinsulating layer 411 by turning in a clockwise direction. In addition,the second coil portion 422 may be disposed on the second insulatinglayer 412 by turning in a counterclockwise direction opposite to theturning direction of the first coil portion 421. Also, the third coilportion 423 may be disposed on the third insulating layer 413 by turningin a clockwise direction opposite to the turning direction of the secondcoil portion 422. In addition, the fourth coil portion 424 may bedisposed on the fourth insulating layer 414 by turning in acounterclockwise direction opposite to the turning direction of thethird coil portion 423. In other words, each coil portion may bedisposed by turning in a direction opposite to the turning direction ofthe coil portion disposed in a neighboring layer.

Meanwhile, the resonance capacitor 430 of the resonator 400 has one endconnected to the first coil portion 421 and the other end connected tothe fourth coil portion 424. In addition, one end of the resonancecapacitor may be connected to the first output terminal T1 connected tothe inductance digital converter LDC, and the other end of the resonancecapacitor may be connected to the second output terminal T2 connected tothe inductance digital converter LDC.

Referring to FIG. 20c , the resonator 400 as described above includes aresonance coil 420 including a first coil portion 421, a second coilportion 422, a third coil portion 423, and a fourth coil portion 424connected in series with each other, and a resonance capacitor 430 maybe connected to both ends thereof, and both ends of the resonancecapacitor 430 may constitute a resonance circuit connected to theinductance digital converter (LDC).

As described above, in the embodiment, the resonance coil 420 isdisposed on the plurality of insulating layers to have a plurality oflayer structures, so that the total inductance of the resonator 400 canbe maximally increased within a limited space. Meanwhile, the thicknessof the resonator having the four-layer structure (more specifically, thethickness of the substrate in the first rigid region) may be in therange of 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm. Preferably, the thickness of the resonatorhaving a four-layer structure may be in the range of 0.5 mm to 0.6 mm.

Hereinafter, a resonator according to another embodiment will bedescribed.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing a resonator according to anotherexemplary embodiment.

The resonator described with reference to FIGS. 19A to 20C includes onlyan oscillation coil that generates a magnetic field by an AC signalhaving a predetermined resonance frequency generated by an oscillator(not shown). In addition, the inductance of the oscillation coil ischanged by a conductor approaching the surroundings, and the position ofthe lens assembly is sensed by detecting the changed inductance by aninductance digital converter LDC.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 21, the resonance coil of theresonator 500 according to another embodiment of the present inventionincludes an oscillation coil 520 and a receiving coil 530. In addition,the oscillation coil 520 generates a magnetic field by an AC signalapplied from the oscillator 510. At this time, the magnetic fieldgenerated in the oscillation coil 520 induces a voltage in the receivingcoil 530. At this time, when the conductor approaches the periphery ofthe resonator 500, the magnitude of the magnetic field generated in theoscillation coil 520 is reduced, thereby reducing the voltage induced inthe receiving coil 530. Then, the sensing device 540 is connected to thereceiving coil 530 to sense the voltage induced in the receiving coil540, and to sense the position of the lens assembly based on this.

More specifically, the magnetic field generated in the oscillation coil520 may be induced in the receiving coil 530. In this case, as theposition of the conductor changes in a situation where a magnetic fieldis generated in the receiving coil 530, the overlap area between thereceiving coil 530 and the conductor changes.

At this time, the receiving coil 530 resonates with the oscillation coil520 to generate an AC frequency having a constant amplitude, the amountof eddy current generated varies according to the overlap area with theconductor. And, by the flow of such the eddy current, a magnetic flux inthe opposite direction to the magnetic flux generated in the receivingcoil 530 is generated, and the amplitude of the signal output to theoscillator 510 is reduced by the influence of the magnetic flux.Therefore, in the embodiment, an AC signal having a different amplitudeis generated according to the overlap area between the receiving coil530 and the conductor, and the sensing device 540 may sense the positionof the lens assembly by sensing the intensity of the generated ACsignal.

That is, the resonator described with reference to FIGS. 19a to 20c hasa structure including only an oscillation coil, and the resonator ofFIG. 21 has a structure including an oscillation coil and a receivingcoil. In this case, the structure including the oscillation coil and thereceiving coil may acquire an accurate sensing value without beingaffected by external noise compared to the structure including only theoscillation coil. That is, in the resonator including only theoscillation coil, the oscillation operation by the resonance frequencyand the position sensing operation of the lens assembly by the conductorare performed using only the oscillation coil. Accordingly, in theresonator including only the oscillation coil, noise generated by anexternal magnetic material other than the conductor corresponding to thetarget directly affects the sensing value, and thus it may be difficultto accurately detect the position of the lens assembly. On the otherhand, in the resonator including the oscillation coil and the receivingcoil, a coil for performing an oscillation operation and a coil foracquiring a position sensing value by a conductor exist separately.Accordingly, in the resonator including the oscillation coil and thereceiving coil, the external noise as described above is mutuallycanceled out between the oscillating coil and the receiving coil, sothat the sensed value is not greatly affected, accordingly, it ispossible to obtain a sensed value having a strong noise characteristic.

Hereinafter, a detailed arrangement structure of the resonance coilshown in FIG. 21 will be described.

FIGS. 22a to 22f are plan views showing layer-by-layer structure of FIG.21, and FIG. 22g is a view for explaining a planar shape of thereceiving coil shown in FIGS. 22a to 22 f.

The resonator 500 according to the embodiment includes an insulatinglayer 550, a receiving coil 530, and an oscillation coil 520.

In this case, the oscillation coil 520 may have the same structure asthe resonance coil 420 described with reference to FIG. 20b . Forexample, the oscillation coil 520 may include first to fourth portions521, 522, 523, and 524 having a four-layer structure.

In addition, the first to fourth portions 521, 522, 523, and 524 may beconnected in series with each other. In this case, the turn directionsof adjacent portions may be opposite to each other so that thedirections of currents flowing in the first to fourth portions 521, 522,523, and 524 are the same.

The insulating layer 550 may have a six-layer structure. That is, theinsulating layer 550 may include a first insulating layer 551 disposedon the uppermost portion and a sixth insulating layer 556 disposed onthe bottommost portion. In addition, second to fifth insulating layers552, 553, 554, and 555 may be sequentially disposed between the firstinsulating layer 551 and the sixth insulating layer 556.

In this case, the upper surfaces of the first to sixth insulating layers551, 552, 553, 554, 555 and 556 may be divided into a region where anoscillation coil is disposed and a region where a receiving coil isdisposed.

For example, an edge region (or an outer region) of an upper surface ofthe first to sixth insulating layers 551, 552, 553, 554, 555 and 556 maybe a first region in which an oscillation coil is disposed. In addition,a second region other than the first region among upper surfaces of thefirst to sixth insulating layers 551, 552, 553, 554, 555 and 556 may bea region in which a receiving coil is disposed. Preferably, the secondregion may be a central region of the upper surface of the first tosixth insulating layers 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556, and the firstregion may be an outer region that surrounds the first region.

A first portion 521 of the oscillation coil 520 may be disposed on thefirst insulating layer 551. Preferably, the first portion 521 of theoscillation coil 520 may be disposed on the first region of the firstinsulating layer 551.

A second portion 522 of the oscillation coil 520 and a portion of thereceiving coil 530 may be disposed on the second insulating layer 552.In this case, the number of receiving coils 530 in the embodiment may beplural. For example, the receiving coil 530 in the embodiment mayinclude a first receiving coil 530 a and a second receiving coil 530 b.

In addition, the second portion 522 of the oscillation coil 520 and thefirst portion 531 of the first receiving coil 530 a may be disposed inthe first region of the second insulating layer 552.

A portion of the receiving coil 530 may be disposed on the thirdinsulating layer 553. Preferably, the second portion 532 of the firstreceiving coil 530 a connected to the first portion 531 may be disposedin the second region of the third insulating layer 553. The firstportion 531 and the second portion 532 of the first receiving coil 530 amay be interconnected at a plurality of points through vias (not shown).In this case, the first receiving coil 530 a including the first portion531 and the second portion 532 may have a shape in which a sine wave anda cosine wave are mixed.

A portion of the receiving coil 530 may be disposed on the fourthinsulating layer 554. Preferably, the first portion 533 of the secondreceiving coil 530 b may be disposed on the second region of the fourthinsulating layer 554.

A third portion 523 of the oscillation coil 520 and a second portion 534of the second receiving coil 530 b may be disposed on the fifthinsulating layer 555. Preferably, the third portion 523 of theoscillation coil 520 may be disposed in the first region of the uppersurface of the fifth insulating layer 555. In addition, the secondportion 534 of the second receiving coil 530 b may be disposed in thesecond region of the upper surface of the fifth insulating layer 555.

The second receiving coil 530 b may include a first portion 533 and asecond portion 534 respectively disposed on the fourth insulating layer554 and the fifth insulating layer 555. The first portion 533 and thesecond portion 534 of the second receiving coil 530 b may beinterconnected at a plurality of points through vias (not shown). Inthis case, the second receiving coil 530 b including the first portion533 and the second portion 534 may have a shape in which a sine wave anda cosine wave are mixed.

A fourth portion 524 of the oscillation coil 520 may be disposed on thesixth insulating layer 556. Preferably, the fourth portion 524 of theoscillation coil 520 may be disposed in the first region of the sixthinsulating layer 556.

Referring to FIG. 22g , each of the first receiving coil 530 a and thesecond receiving coil 530 b constituting the receiving coil 530 may havea shape in which a sine wave and a cosine wave are mixed. In addition,each of the first receiving coil 530 a and the second receiving coil 530b has the above shape through interconnection of coil patterns disposedon a plurality of layers, respectively. In this case, the sine wave andthe cosine wave may include a rising part and a falling part.

In addition, a rising part and a falling part of each of the firstreceiving coil 530 a and the second receiving coil 530 b may be disposedon different layers.

For example, a rising part of the first receiving coil 530 a may bedisposed on the second insulating layer 552, and a falling part of thefirst receiving coil 530 a may be disposed on the third insulating layer553. That is, the first portion 531 of the first receiving coil 530 adisposed on the second insulating layer 552 may be the rising part, andthe second portion 532 of the first receiving coil 530 a disposed on thethird insulating layer 553 may be the falling part.

For example, a rising part of the second receiving coil 530 b may bedisposed on the fourth insulating layer 554, and a falling part of thesecond receiving coil 530 b may be disposed on the fifth insulatinglayer 555. That is, the first portion 533 of the second receiving coil530 b disposed on the fourth insulating layer 554 may be the risingpart, and the second portion 534 of the second receiving coil 530 bdisposed on the fifth insulating layer 555 may be the falling part.

FIG. 23 is a view showing an equivalent circuit diagram of the resonancecoil shown in FIG. 21.

Referring to FIG. 23, it may be connected to the oscillator 510 of theoscillation coil 520.

In addition, one end of the first receiving coil 530 a and one end ofthe second receiving coil 530 b may be connected to each other, and thusmay be commonly grounded to the ground.

In addition, the other end of the first receiving coil 530 a may beconnected to one end of the sensing device 540, and the other end of thesecond receiving coil 530 b may be connected to the other end of thesensing device 540.

Accordingly, the sensing device 540 may mutually subtract and/or addsignals sensed from the first receiving coil 530 a and the secondreceiving coil 530 b, and may detect the position of the lens assemblybased on this.

Next, FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a mobile terminal to which acamera module according to an embodiment is applied.

Referring to FIG. 24, the mobile terminal 1500 according to theembodiment may include a camera module 1000, a flash module 1530, and anautofocus device 1510 provided on the rear side.

The camera module 1000 may include an image capturing function and anauto focus function. For example, the camera module 1000 may include anauto-focus function using an image.

The camera module 1000 processes an image frame of a still image or amoving image obtained by an image sensor in a shooting mode or a videocall mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on a predetermineddisplay unit and stored in a memory. A camera (not shown) may also bedisposed on the front of the mobile terminal body.

For example, the camera module 1000 may include a first camera module1000A and a second camera module 1000B, and OIS may be implementedtogether with an AF or zoom function by the first camera module 1000A.

The flash module 1530 may include a light emitting device emitting lighttherein. The flash module 1530 may be operated by a camera operation ofa mobile terminal or a user's control.

The autofocus device 1510 may include one of the packages of the surfacelight emitting laser device as a light emitting part.

The auto focus device 1510 may include an auto focus function using alaser. The auto focus device 1510 may be mainly used in a condition inwhich the auto focus function using the image of the camera module 1000is deteriorated, for example, in proximity of 10 m or less or in a darkenvironment. The autofocus device 1510 may include a light emitting unitincluding a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) semiconductordevice and a light receiving unit that converts light energy such as aphotodiode into electrical energy.

1. A camera module comprising: base; a guide portion disposed on aninner side of the base; a lens assembly moving along the guide portion;and a substrate disposed on an outer side of the base, wherein the lensassembly includes a conductor disposed under a lower surface thereof,wherein the substrate includes a resonance coil disposed in a regionfacing the lower surface of the lens assembly and overlapping at least apart of the conductor in a direction perpendicular to an optical axisdirection in response to movement of the lens assembly, and wherein theresonant coil generates a magnetic field by resonating with a resonancefrequency, and sensing a position of the lens assembly based on aninductance value that changes according to a change in a strength of thegenerated magnetic field.
 2. The camera module of claim 1, wherein theguide portion includes: a first guide portion disposed on a first innerside of the base; and a second guide portion disposed on a second innerside facing the first inner side of the base, wherein the lens assemblyincludes: a first lens assembly moving along the first guide portion;and a second lens assembly moving along the second guide portion.
 3. Thecamera module of claim 2, wherein the conductor includes: a firstconductor disposed under a lower surface of the first lens assembly; anda second conductor disposed under a lower surface of the second lensassembly; wherein the resonance coil includes: a first resonance coiloverlapping at least a part of the first conductor within a movementrange of the first conductor corresponding to a stroke of the first lensassembly; and a second resonance coil overlapping at least a part of thesecond conductor within a movement range of the second conductorcorresponding to a stroke of the second lens assembly.
 4. The cameramodule of claim 3, wherein the first resonance coil is disposed on thesubstrate to be spaced apart from the second resonance coil.
 5. Thecamera module of claim 3, wherein movement range of the first conductordoes not overlap the movement range of the second conductor in adirection perpendicular to the optical axis direction.
 6. The cameramodule of claim 3, wherein the first resonance coil is spaced apart fromthe first conductor by a first distance, wherein the second resonancecoil is spaced apart from the second conductor by a second distance,wherein at least one of the first and second distances is in the rangeof 1.0 min to 2.0 mm.
 7. The camera module of claim 3, wherein at leastone of the first and second resonance coils has a thickness of 50 μm ormore.
 8. The camera module of claim 3, wherein at least one of the firstand second resonance coils has a width in the range of 50 um to 1 mm. 9.The camera module of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first andsecond resonance coils is disposed by turning a plurality of times witha spacing in the range of 50 um to 300 um on the substrate.
 10. Thecamera module of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and secondresonance coils has an outer width that is at least three times greaterthan an inner width.
 11. The camera module of claim 3, wherein thesubstrate includes a plurality of insulating layers, and wherein each ofthe first and second resonance coils is disposed on the plurality ofinsulating layers to have a plurality of layer structures.
 12. Thecamera module of claim 11, wherein the plurality of insulating layersincludes first and second insulating layers, wherein each of the firstand second resonance coils includes a first portion disposed on thefirst insulating layer and disposed by turning in a first direction; anda second portion disposed on the second insulating layer, connected tothe first portion, and disposed by turning in a second directionopposite to the first direction.
 13. The camera module of claim 11,wherein each of the first and second resonance coils includes anoscillation coil and a first and second receiving coil, and wherein theoscillation coil is disposed to surround an outer side of the first andsecond receiving coils.
 14. The camera module of claim 13, wherein theplurality of insulating layers includes first to sixth insulatinglayers, wherein each of the first and second resonance coils includes: afirst portion of the oscillation coil disposed on the first insulatinglayer and disposed by turning in a first direction; a second portion ofthe oscillation coil disposed on the second insulating layer, connectedto the first portion of the oscillation coil, and disposed by turning ina second direction opposite to the first direction; a first portion ofthe first receiving coil disposed on the second insulating layer; asecond portion of the first receiving coil disposed on the thirdinsulating layer and connected to the first portion of the firstreceiving coil; a first portion of the second receiving coil disposed onthe fourth insulating layer; a third portion of the oscillation coildisposed on the fifth insulating layer, connected to the second portionof the oscillation coil, and disposed by turning in the first direction;a second portion of the second receiving coil disposed on the fifthinsulating layer and connected to the first portion of the secondreceiving coil; and a fourth portion of the oscillation coil disposed onthe sixth insulating layer, connected to the third portion of theoscillation coil, and disposed by turning in the second direction. 15.The camera module of claim 13, wherein the first receiving coil and thesecond receiving coil have a shape in which a sine wave and a cosinewave are combined.
 16. The camera module of claim 15, wherein the sinewave and the cosine wave include a rising part and a falling part,wherein a rising part of the first receiving coil is disposed on adifferent layer from a falling part of the first receiving coil, andwherein a rising part of the second receiving coil is disposed on adifferent layer from a falling part of the first receiving coil.
 17. Thecamera module of claim 2, wherein the substrate includes: a first regiondisposed on the lower surface of the base; a second region disposed on afirst outer side corresponding to the first inner side of the base; anda third region disposed on a second outer side corresponding to thesecond inner side of the base.
 18. The camera module of claim 17,wherein the first lens assembly includes: a first lens barrel in which afirst lens is disposed, and a first mover in which a first drivingportion is disposed, wherein the second lens assembly includes: a secondlens barrel in which a second lens is disposed, and a second mover inwhich a second driving portion is disposed, and wherein the substrateincludes: a third driving portion disposed on the second region to facethe first driving portion, and a fourth driving portion disposed on thethird region to face the second driving portion.
 19. The camera moduleof claim 18, wherein the first driving portion includes a first magnet,wherein the second driving portion includes a second magnet, wherein thefirst conductor is disposed to be spaced apart from the first magnet inthe first lens assembly, and wherein the second conductor is disposed tobe spaced apart from the second magnet in the second lens assembly. 20.The camera module of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first andsecond conductors has a triangular shape whose width is linearly changedin the direction of the optical axis direction.